


Driven by Love - Bound by Duty

by SophiaHoppia



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anal Sex, Anxiety, Chocobros - Freeform, Confusion, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Insecurity, Love, M/M, Manly Tears, Mentions of Blood, Misunderstandings, Multi, Nothing graphic don't worry, OT4, Polyamory, Status Effects, blowjob, slight body disphoria
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-15 23:22:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16073531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/pseuds/SophiaHoppia
Summary: At the beginning of their roadtrip, the four boys finally confessed their feelings for each other and started a polyamorous relationship. They are all happy with this development, but Noctis and Gladio are still being hold back by insecurities, which they are too proud to admit.Beta-reader: Eric Panda





	1. Cuddly Gladdy

**Author's Note:**

> I've written this fanfiction for [GladNoctWeek](https://gladnoctweek.tumblr.com/), but it turned into an OT4 with focus on GladNoct. There'll be one chapter for each prompt!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1 - Cuddly Gladdy.
> 
> Gladio's POV

It was a rainy evening after a stormy day. Even though they had finally managed to kill the Deadeye Behemoth, the dark weather suited Gladio's mood. Sure, he was happy they had helped Wiz and the people at the ranch - not to mention Prompto's happy smile after realizing they'd get to rent some chocobos as thanks. But Gladio wouldn't be truly happy until they finally reached Lestallum and he could see with his own eyes, that his sister was alright. Iris had called them a few days ago, so he _knew_ she was fine. But after they've learned of Insomnia's fall and they've even watched the city ablaze from afar, he felt... unwell.

The shield turned the water off and moved out of the small shower cubicle. The caravan really wasn't made for someone as tall and bulky as him. After sloppily drying off, he put on some shorts and a tank top before he left the tiny bathroom, not caring that the water still dripped from his hair.

It didn't take more than two seconds until he heard Ignis click his tongue disapprovingly. "Look after the stove, Prompto darling."  
"Huh?" The blond only then turned around and noticed Gladio standing behind them as Ignis already vanished into the bathroom to fetch a towel. The advisor put the towel over Gladio's head and immediately started to dry off the shield's hair with a few practiced movements. Gladio was a little confused about Iggy mothering him instead of just outright telling him to dry his hair like he usually did. But without realizing it, the taller man relaxed into the touch and lowered his head, letting his forehead rest on his lover's shoulder. When the tactician had rubbed his hair down enough to stop the constant dripping of water, he embraced the older male, steadily caressing his back. "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing..." Gladio answered, but his voice sounded thick and not convincing at all. He was a little shocked by this fact himself. He was the strong one of their group - of their _relationship_. He was firm as a rock, not even getting shaken by Titan himself. He had to be; not only for his long-time boyfriend Ignis but even more so for his new boyfriends Prompto and Noctis. He couldn't afford to drown in misery, especially at a critical time like now, with their kingdom in ruins.

"It's okay, love. Everyone needs a break from time to time," Ignis said reassuringly as he kissed the shield's head, knowing exactly what he was thinking about. One could trust Iggy to always keep an eye on his lovers and spot their problems, sometimes even before they did themselves.  
"Says Mister Workaholic..." Gladio snorted.

Before the advisor could respond, Prompto spoke up shyly, "Uhm... I really hate to interrupt. But I need your help over here, Iggy."  
The two men let go of each other and watched their blond boyfriend desperately trying to handle all the pots on the stove by himself. Since all four of them got into a polyamorous relationship at the beginning of their road trip, Prompto had finally found the confidence to assist Ignis with the cooking. The additional help was welcome and made Iggy try out even more complex recipes.  
"Of course, darling," Ignis said before he placed a quick kiss on Gladio's lips and walked over to the stove.  
When Prompto looked a little troubled between the stove and Gladio, the cook spoke up once more. "Noct. Take care of Gladio, would you?"  
"Hm?" A sleepy mumbled noise arose from the bed.  
"It's alright. I'm fine," the shield claimed at once.  
"Hush, love. No talking back to me. Just lay down with Noct," the advisor said and cast the shield a look, which left no room for protest.

The prince sat up on the bed and looked a little confused. "What's going on?"  
"Nothing," Gladio answered as he laid down face down right beside Noctis.

The shield didn't even need to look up, to see the silent conversation going on between his lovers, before Noctis flopped back down on the bed again, lazily draping an arm and a leg around Gladio's larger body. The shield grumbled a little before he gave in and turned around to bury his head in the bend of Noct's neck.  
They just laid there, cuddling quietly while listening to Ignis and Prompto cooking: the rattling of tableware, the precise and constant chopping of a knife, the hushed voices talking about the recipe.  
All the while, Noctis slowly traced invisible patterns over Gladio's arm. "Wanna talk about it?"  
The shield thought about the offer quickly. But there wasn't really anything _new_ to talk about. He was worried about Iris even though he knew that she was safe. Additionally, he really didn't want to mourn over the death of his father and the fall of his hometown when his prince shared the same burden. The last thing Gladio intended to do was to reopen Noct's wounds by bringing this topic up again.  
"Nah..." the shield mumbled into Noct's shirt, "Just... cuddle for a bit."  
He felt the prince smile as he placed a soft kiss on his still wet hair. "Didn't know you could be that cuddly, but okay. Just... try to think about something else, if you don't wanna talk about it."  
The tall man only grumbled and tried to bury his face completely in the curve of Noct's neck.

Thinking about something else was easier said than done. But maybe he could do it, laying here together with Noct, taking in his calming scent with every breath.

He wasn't used to being the little spoon. Usually, Gladio was too proud to admit that he just needed to be held and cuddled. He had done it a few times with Iggy in the four years of their relationship. The shield was still amazed at how long it has lasted already. In the beginning, they kind of bonded over the fact that they both not only cared for their prince like duty commanded to do but way more than that - they truly _loved_ him. With finding each other they had both found someone to pine for Noct with. It was an unspoken rule that as his advisor and his shield they were never allowed to make a move on him. They had no choice but to admire him from the sidelines. But at least they had found someone to share their darkest secret and desire with, someone to admire for their selfless service towards their wonderful prince. At first, Gladio was really confused. He hadn't heard about anyone being in love with two people at the same time. But he could soon say that he loved Ignis just as much as he loved Noctis. The only difference was that Iggy was within his reach and Noct was not. It felt like he was in a healthy relationship and at the same time, he was heartbroken. It wasn't easy for him and it wasn't easy for Ignis either. But they had managed somehow and were fine with watching Noctis only from afar.

That was until Prompto burst into their lives like the sun shining through the suddenly opened curtains in the morning.  
It was the first time Noctis had found a friend outside the Citadel and Ignis and Gladio had run as many background checks on the blond boy as they could to eliminate the chance of him being a threat. Since you never could be safe enough, they watched him as closely as possible and spend as much time with him as possible even when they were sure that he was no imminent danger. The only conclusion they came up with was that Prompto was a sincere, friendly guy who really liked Noctis for the human being he was and not for his royal status.

Being around Prompto was good for Noct. The prince was happier, he smiled more and got livelier. It was like the energetic blond male had managed to take a burden off of the young prince's shoulders.

Some months ago Gladio and Ignis noticed a change between Prompto and Noctis. It was subtle at first and they weren't sure if the young ones even were aware of it. But they cuddled more. They blushed more. They complimented each other. They stuttered in embarrassment. They sat closer to each other and snickered way more than before.

But that was all it appeared to be. It looked like an intense friendship. And to be honest? It was good that way. Noct needed a best friend in his life. Watching them being happy together made the shield and the advisor happy as well.

Just as Gladio had thought their relationship would stagnate at this stage of friendship, he had Iggy bursting into his apartment with the spare key one Sunday morning, looking totally apathetically and bursting into tears as soon as Gladio worriedly asked him what had happened. It took a few agonizingly long seconds before Ignis shoved his phone into Gladio's hands, showing a picture of Noct and Prompto on the prince's sofa. Asleep. Together. On top of each other, all tangled limbs. Naked.

The older male didn't know how to react to this information. But being the shield he was and having his usually put-together but now drenched in tears boyfriend in his arms, he did his best to hold him and get him to talk. He guessed that Iggy was jealous of Prompto. Because he got from Noct what they both never could. But he soon realized that wasn't the only problem. And that was what had caused Iggy to break down. Sure, the advisor was happy these two adorable young men had found their happiness. But at the same time, he was jealous of Prompto. However, he was also... jealous of Noctis.

It was then that it all clicked together. The last piece of the puzzle. Not only for Ignis but for Gladio as well. This wasn't about the three of them anymore - but the _four_ of them.

"Okay, now I really wanna know," Noctis said as he leaned back a little to study Gladio's face, "What made you suddenly smile like that?"  
"You... Us," Gladio answered honestly and enjoyed how the redness spread from his prince's cheeks to his ears.

"I... didn't even do anything," Noct mumbled and tried to look away to hide his embarrassment, causing Gladio to chuckle.  
"It's so cute how easily you're getting flustered," the shield said with a huge grin on his face.  
"Oh, shut up," the prince retorted and pressed Gladio's head back against the crook of his neck, "Stop teasing me and go back to cuddling me."

The shield couldn't contain himself from moving down and blowing raspberries against Noct's stomach, causing the younger male to yelp. As the prince tried to struggle away, Gladio used his strength to press Noct down onto the mattress, pull up his shirt and continued to assault his lover's belly, causing Noctis to laugh uncontrollably. As the prince screamed for help but their other two boyfriends only laughed at him, Gladio had pity on him and stopped his assault soon enough. Instead, he laid down to cuddle his prince again, his head resting on Noct's stomach.

As the young male's waves of laughter had quieted down, he ruffled through the large male's hair. "Cuddling you is exhausting, but I could get used to it, Gladdy."  
"Glad to hear that, princess."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Check out my Profile to find me on Tumblr or Twitter!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/profile)   
> 


	2. Body Insecurity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 - Body Insecurity
> 
> Noct's POV

It was merely afternoon when Ignis decided to stop at a nearby haven and rest before continuing their travel to Lestallum at sunrise the next morning. Prompto was obviously confused the diligent advisor decided to set up camp so early instead of driving for a few more hours until the sun went down, making the most of their time like usual.  
"Strategically speaking, sometimes it is wiser to take a break," the advisor explained to the youngest member of their group before the blond even had the chance to utter his query verbally.

Noctis frowned. _Strategically_? Then he hadn't imagined things. The prince had thought for a while that something was strange with Gladio lately. And he wasn't talking about the evening three days ago when the shield had been unusually cuddly - on the contrary; it had started sometime later.

"So, we all just need a break?" Prompto asked confused.  
" _Some_ of us apparently do need some time, yes," the tactician answered while he observed Noct through the rearview mirror.

Wait a moment. Why was Ignis glaring at _him_? He sure as hell wasn't the problem.  
"Let's get moving!" Gladio said and got out of the car, the others tracking after him without further delay.

As they followed their routine to set up camp, Noctis got lost in his thoughts. He knew that he could always count on Iggy to pinpoint the root of a change in their group dynamic. But why had the tactician glared at him and not at Gladio? The prince frowned once more. He really didn't believe he had done anything wrong. Maybe it's because he noticed the change in Gladio and often thought about it? Perhaps Iggy just noticed him being lost in thoughts, coming to the conclusion that something was wrong with _him_. Therefore he should try to spend a few minutes alone with his advisor to clear things up.

Before Noctis could come up with an inconspicuous reason to get the advisor to go for a walk with him, the man in question already spoke up. "Gladio, Noct, you two go down to the river to wash yourselves while Prompto and I prepare dinner."

"I'll go later," Gladio said at the same time as Noctis answered, "I didn't even get dirty today."

"Gentlemen," Ignis said, his voice distinctively colder than before, "I've hoped we could finally spend an evening together again. And I am not letting anyone even near the tent who hasn't taken care of his daily body hygiene."

"I could help with cooking?" Noctis asked carefully just as Gladio asked, "Why not let the kids go first?"

The loud noise of the cook's kitchen knife meeting the cutting board after splitting a whole cabbage in half with one deadly slice made Prompto jump in surprise and everyone holding their breath.

"Gladiolus. Noctis." Ignis's voice cut through the silence as sharp as his knife. "If you two have a predicament with my carefully thought-through plan, tell me _now_."

Noctis had a problem with it. But he didn't have the guts to speak up against Iggy when he was in this mood.  
"Already on our way!" Gladio said, immediately fetching towels and soap from the tent and leaving the haven. A quirked eyebrow from his advisor was enough to break the prince from his shocked trance and follow after his shield.

Noctis walked a few steps behind Gladio and sighed. Why couldn't he just be happy to spend some time alone with Gladio? Even if things had seemed a little awkward between them lately, there was a time when he would have done anything to go bathing with Gladio. Before they had set out onto this road trip, Prompto and he had been swooning over Gladio and Ignis all the time. It was such a relief when the blond had slipped up about him being bisexual one night they were drunk. It made Noctis confess to being gay immediately. Something he had never before told anyone. After confusedly blinking at each other for a few seconds, they both laughed awkwardly and started to talk about Gladio and Ignis, soon deciding the two older men were both hotter than Ifrit's flames.  
Since then they would always observe them, giggle and later tease each other about blushing whenever they got caught looking. They often wondered if the two older males were lovers and if they kissed each other, causing them to think about kissing in general, wondering what it would be like to kiss someone. It didn't take long until Noctis and Prompto started to try a few things together. They trusted each other and the more time they spend fooling around together the more they realized their feelings for each other, which was nice but also confusing because they still had a huge crush on Gladio and Ignis. They were so hot and in a league of their own. Noctis wasn't even sure for how long he had admired and loved his shield and advisor. It sure was awkward as hell when he started to have wet dreams about them during puberty. Now that he thought back, he had even dreamed about going swimming with Gladio once. Naked.

"So... you having any idea why Iggy's mad at us and sending us away?"  
"Huh?" Noctis almost bumped into Gladio, who had slowed down to wait for his prince.  
"Come on," the shield frowned, "I'm sure you noticed him glaring at us even before getting out of the car."  
Honestly, Noct had only noticed Iggy glaring at _him_. But he was happy to hear that he wasn't the only victim to Ignis's death stares.  
"Yeah, I noticed. No idea, what I did to deserve it, though. Shouldn't you know that better than me?"  
"Why would I?" the taller male asked and walked beside Noctis now.  
"Well, you are his lover," the prince said and immediately realized it wasn't his best answer.  
"As are you..." the shield silently stated.  
"Yeah but... you've been for years," Noct tried to explain.  
"If we are talking about time, _you_ know him way longer than I do. You two basically grew up together," Gladio mentioned and Noct wasn't sure how to interpret the tone of his voice. It almost sounded sad. The prince didn't like this sudden melancholy.  
"Yeah, but unfortunately he was the only one to acquire the mind reading skill."  
"Hahaha! Sure seems that way!" Gladio laughed as he put off his shirt in one smooth move and let it fall to the ground. He didn't even hesitate to take off his shoes and trousers as well before he walked the rest of the way towards the river stark naked.

Noctis was amazed by how the other could outright strip without even the tiniest bit of shame or embarrassment. But maybe that just wasn't a thing if you had an amazing body like Gladiolus Amicitia did. The prince couldn't tear his gaze away from Gladio as the shield walked into the water: his strong back, his firm ass, his well-toned legs...

Noct clutched his hands on the hem of his shirt. That was why he didn't want to go bathing with Gladio alone. Of course, he enjoyed ogling his shield. Who wouldn't enjoy the sight of such a perfectly sexy body? But that made him all the more mindful to the flaws of his own body. Even though he'd been training with his shield for years now, he didn't have a muscular, bulky body like the older male had. There was a reason the other called him scrawny from time to time. Until now he had hidden it from Gladio quite well. They went bathing at night, when it was dark, he showered alone at the caravan and motels or Prompto and he raced to the water first and Gladio went with Ignis later. Besides... Gladio and he hadn't really gotten physical yet even though they were in love with each other. Noct wasn't sure why they hadn't made any progress yet. He wanted to. But he was also afraid of getting naked around Gladio. He just couldn't compete with this Adonis of a man.

At the beginning of their polyamorous relationship, it had been a little awkward between himself and Ignis as well. His advisor wasn't as muscular as Gladio was but he was nonetheless sexy. Iggy was like the epitome of sexiness. And therefore the complete opposite of Noctis. Really. He didn't get, what Prompto and apparently even Iggy found attractive about him. He was just plain pale and... ordinary, but they loved him nonetheless. Ignis had reassured him, that he liked his body in the first night they shared together. And afterwards, the awkwardness between them was gone like it had never even existed before.

Maybe things would get better between him and Gladio as well once they got physical for the first time? But... Gladio probably wouldn't even want to get physical with him. Maybe he saw his relationship with Noctis as a _platonic_ arrangement? It would make sense. Someone like the shield would never be physically attracted to someone like _him_. And he had Iggy and Prom to get physical with. He didn't need Noct for it as well.

"You're gonna keep standing there forever?" Gladio's deep voice called out and interrupted Noct's train of thoughts.  
"I... No, I..." the prince said as he tumbled over his own words. What should he even tell him? He couldn't outright admit, that he was embarrassed about his unattractive body, that he didn't want Gladio to see him naked, that he was too afraid of rejection, that he-  
"Noct?" The shield frowned and started to walk out of the water, a worried look gracing his beautiful face.  
"Stay in!" Noct shouted out of reflex. The last thing he needed now was to see his lover in all his naked glory again.  
The shield held up his hand in a conciliatory way. "Okay, okay. I won't move. But you calm down, please. You are almost panicking, I'm worried."  
"I'm not-" he wanted to retort, but his lungs failed him. Okay, maybe he _was_ starting to panic a little. The prince only now realized how out of breath he felt.

"Sorry," Noct said and concentrated on taking deep breaths, "It's nothing. I'm alright."  
"If you say so..." Gladio answered quietly as he continued to study the prince's face for any sign of what was going on.  
As Noctis had calmed down but still kept standing at the shore, fingers clawing the hem of his shirt, the shield spoke up once more. "Want me to turn around and look away?"  
"What? No. Yes, I mean no." Noctis bit his bottom lip. "I thought... you wouldn't _wanna_ see?"  
"What? Why?" Gladio sounded outright confused.  
"Because I'm... not as muscular as you?" the prince admitted sheepishly.  
"I know, that you aren't. Almost no one is," the shield added with a smirk.  
"You... aren't turned off by that?"  
"Huh? Why would I? Prom and Iggy aren't musclemen either. And besides, I'm not even into musclemen. Whatever gave you that idea?"  
"Well, I thought... because _you_ are a muscleman..." Noctis frowned. Now that he said it out loud, he realized how stupid it sounded. Just because Gladio himself was very muscular didn't mean that he was only interested in muscular guys.  
The shield quirked an eyebrow and waited for Noct to continue.  
"But... You always told me I'm scrawny!" the prince suddenly exclaimed.  
"Never said it was a bad thing," the shield sighed, "and sometimes it's just too much fun to tease you."  
"Tease me..." the young man repeated in disbelief.  
"Well, yeah. Listen, Noct. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were insecure about your body and took this to heart. Wasn't my intention to hurt you. Really."  
"It's okay. It was stupid of me to get so caught up with it." Noct said and almost pouted. He felt like he had just made a mountain out of a molehill. Why was he so insecure? He should have just went into the water right after his lover.  
"You're coming in the water now? It's really refreshing," the shield suggested with an honest smile.  
"Sure!" Noctis answered and after a short moment of hesitation, he finally started to strip out of his clothes.

He could feel Gladio's gaze following his every movement, causing his body to heat up uncontrollably. Feeling embarrassed about the whole situation he threw his clothes away as fast as possible, tripping over his own feet as he tried to get his shorts off, causing Gladio to laugh.

Noctis glared at him and the shield immediately held his hands up in conciliation once more, but couldn't stop himself from snickering.

"You!!" Noct screamed and launched himself at Gladio, dipping his muscular lover into the water. Just as Noctis had a satisfyingly feeling of success, he felt his leg getting grabbed and a few seconds later his world turned upside-down as the shield pulled him underwater as well.

They both emerged and spit out the river water before they started to laugh whole-heartedly.

They continued to fool around in the water until the sun started to set and they hurried back to camp. There, they found Prompto straddling Iggy's lap, both of them kissing wildly. As Gladio whistled approvingly, the blond leaped to his feet as if he was hit by one of Ramuh's lightning bolts and Ignis adjusted his glasses at once, clearing his throat, trying to act as if he didn't just had his tongue shoved down Prompto's mouth.

"There you are," the advisor said, his voice still sounding a little flustered, "Dinner was ready eons ago."  
"Glad you didn't get _bored_ while waiting for us," Gladio said with a wide grin, causing Iggy to smirk back just as teasingly. "Glad _you_ didn't get bored while taking a bath either."

"Can we just eat?" Noctis complained because he knew that Gladio and Ignis would simply continue to tease each other for the rest of the evening otherwise.  
"Count me in!" Prompto announced.  
"Surely. Let's leave the fun for later," Ignis said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Check out my Profile to find me on Tumblr or Twitter!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/profile)   
> 


	3. Formal Shield/King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 - Formal Shield/King
> 
> That prompt was the most difficult to fit into the story. 
> 
> Gladio's POV

The sun shone down on them as they continued their journey to Lestallum the following day. It didn't take long for Noctis to nod off on the drive, while Prompto busied himself with taking some shots to test out his new camera filters and settings.

Gladio enjoyed the ride now much more than he had in the past days. He was finally able to appreciate the little things again: the warmth of the sunshine on his skin, the cool wind gently blowing through his hair and the smell of the woods surrounding them. Together with the constant buzzing of the Regalia, safely driven by Ignis, he almost felt at home.

After the little heart-to-heart with Noctis at the river yesterday, Gladio realized how much he had closed himself off from his lovers over the last days. Usually, he would have noticed way earlier that Noct was bothered by something and purposely avoided to get undressed in front of him. Yet he was too busy worrying about his sister, who was safe at Lestallum, that he hadn't paid enough attention to the guys around him. He really had to thank Ignis for keeping an eye on them all the time, even arranging for Gladio and Noct to be alone to talk it out.

They had spent the evening chatting, laughing and flirting happily until Iggy finally had the courage to look at them with glossy eyes, a fine blush covering his soft cheeks as he whispered, "Take me... hard."

Prompto immediately dropped the water bottle he had been holding and visibly gulped as he outright stared at the advisor. The prince wasn't in a much better condition as his cheeks and ears lit up in a beautiful red. Gladio chuckled and decided to take matters into his own hands. He couldn't blame their younger lovers for their reaction. After all, he had been stunned as well when he had first discovered this more submissive side, Ignis rarely exposed.

It didn't take long until all four of them were in the tent, clothes carelessly thrown away, Noctis and Prompto clumsily rubbing each other off as they watched Gladio pounding Ignis into his sleeping bag, ravishing him with just the little amount of roughness they both enjoyed from time to time, turning the advisor into a moaning and drooling mess. He loved the way Iggy felt beneath him, how he begged Gladio to take him harder even though he already _was_ rough, using his raw strength to manhandle him.

At the beginning of their relationship, the shield had been afraid of hurting his lover. He knew he could be a brute, but he soon had to learn that Iggy not only _could_ take it but also really _enjoyed_ to take it.

His first time with Prompto hadn't been easy either. He was so much bigger than the blond pipsqueak that he really was afraid he'd break his younger lover. But it soon turned out that their blond little sunshine wasn't as innocent as it seemed when he sheepishly admitted his size kink and showed them dildos of Bahamut-knows-what-size he had taken on a regular basis before he started to get involved with Noct.

 _Noct_...  
Gladio still hadn't got a chance to get physical with him yet. Or he hadn't _taken_ the chance yet. He felt a little stupid for it since there probably wasn't even anything to worry about. Despite his initial worries, it had gone well with Ignis and Prompto as well. So he shouldn't worry too much and just let it come to him, but right now he was just too afraid of hurting Noctis in any way - physically or mentally. It went so far that he had tried to avoid being alone with Noct in more intimate situations. Going bathing together had sounded nice at first but he had been afraid of seeing his prince naked. What if he couldn't hold himself back and everything went too fast or he was too rough?

He wasn't even sure whether Noct wanted to get physical with him anyway since the prince indeed was not self-confident about his own body. The shield had been shocked that the young man was this insecure about getting naked in front of him. Although a part of this clearly was Gladio's fault for having made fun of him too often.  Furthermore, Noctis seemed so delicate, Gladio was afraid of breaking him with even the slightest touch. That was kind of silly, thinking about how he literally punched him during their training sessions occasionally. But that was something completely different. Noct knew he couldn't avoid a little bit of sweat and pain when they were training in earnest. But the shield didn't intend to hurt his lover during their more intimate moments.

"We're almost there, gentlemen," Ignis announced and put an end to Gladio's train of thoughts. The shield looked up from the book he had been staring at for hours without reading a single word and watched the first buildings of Lestallum coming into view.

After placing the Regalia at the parking lot, they made their way through the bustling streets towards the Leville hotel. When they arrived there and Gladio finally saw his little sister again, along with their retainer Jared and his grandson Talcott, he felt a great burden being lifted from his shoulders. Unfortunately, the relief and happiness didn't stay long once Iris told them about the events she had witnessed in Insomnia. It still sounded more like a bad dream than reality, but when he saw the tears prickle in his sister's eyes as she told them about the death of their father, protecting King Regis until dying in the line of duty, he couldn't deny the truth of it anymore. He felt a big lump in his throat but tried to keep his expression neutral. He didn't want to break down in front of everyone; especially not when even his little sister managed to keep it together, her voice only wavering slightly from time to time.

At least the mood of the others lightened up a bit once Iris mentioned that Lady Lunafreya had managed to escape the city alive. Gladio was happy to see the relief on Noct's face, which was even graced by a rare smile, although he felt a ping of jealousy at the same time. He knew that Noctis didn't love Luna romantically, caring for her only how a sibling does, but they were still engaged. Sometimes he forgot they had set out on this journey to take Noct to Luna, so they could marry - solely for political reasons, but _marry_ nonetheless. And as a shield, it was his duty to protect his prince. He didn't know where his place would be once Noct and Luna got together again. He wasn't sure how or _if_ Noctis planned to explain to his future bride that he was in a relationship with three guys. Perhaps that would all end once he got married? Not that he wanted to impute Noct to suddenly stop loving them. But wouldn't it formally be the right thing to do? His place as a shield was between Noct and upcoming danger. Not between him and his wife.  
Gladio sighed. He should talk to Iggy about this soon instead of wrecking his brain around in circles.

Just as Iris wanted to leave for the night, there was a little knock on their door. They opened it to welcome Jared and Talcott in, the little one already dressed in his pajamas.  
"I apologize for bothering you at such a late hour, but Talcott just couldn't find rest without coming here once more," the old man explained and bowed apologetically.  
"It's quite alright," Ignis answered smoothly before Talcott shouted, "I just needed to see once more, that Prince Noctis was alright! Ever since we left Insomnia and the king... d-died, I've had nightmares about something happening to Prince Noctis as well!"

The prince blinked in confusion before he crouched down in front of the young boy and patted him on the head. "I'm alright! But thanks for worrying about me."

"But what if some bad guys showed up?" Talcott asked worriedly.  
"Talcott, come on now. Stop bothering the prince," Jared said, clearly flustered by the behavior of his grandson.  
"It's alright, Jared," Noctis reassured the old retainer before he fixed his gaze on Talcott again. "Even if bad guys show up, nothing bad will happen to me!"  
"How can you be so sure?" The young boy asked, worriedly chewing on his bottom lip.  
"Because I have Gladio by my side. He is the best shield, who ever existed!" Noctis said with so much conviction, Gladio felt his chest swelling with pride.  
"Really?"  
"Really! You know how strong he is, don't you?"  
Talcott nodded and looked at Gladio. "You're going to protect him?"  
"You have my word. After all, it's my duty as a shield!" Gladio said, flexing his biceps to show off.

The young boy was amazed by the shield's muscles and nodded happily. "That's good! Now I'll be able to sleep. Good night, Prince Noctis! Good night, everyone!"  
They all wished him a good night as well, and Talcott left their room together with Jared and Iris.

"You've really got a knack for children, Noct! I had no idea," Prompto exclaimed once the four of them were left on their own again.  
"Nonsense, you are exaggerating," the prince answered, turning his head to the side to hide his embarrassment.  
Prompto wasn't exaggerating. Gladio thought so as well. Noctis would be a great dad one day when he got children of his own. When he started a family on his own, with his wife, Luna.

 _Shit_. Gladio didn't even know what to think anymore. As a shield, it was his job to make sure that Noctis safely reached his fiancée in Altissia. But as his lover he wished, Noctis would never have to marry any woman. Why was he even thinking about this so much lately? He had always been in love with Noct. He had always wished his feelings would be reciprocated one day. And now that it finally had come to it, he suddenly felt insecure and wasn't sure how he was supposed to think and act anymore. As a shield or as a lover? What was right and what was wrong? Was he even _allowed_ to be in such an intimate relationship with his charge?

"Are you even listening to me, big guy?"  
Gladio snapped out of his thoughts and saw Prompto's frowning face directly in front of him.  
"Sorry. Didn't quite catch that," he admitted.  
"I asked," his blond lover repeated as he slipped a hand beneath Gladio's jacket, seductively swirling his fingers around his left nipple, "if you wanted to shower with _me_ today. And show me more of these delicious muscles."

 _By the tits of Shiva_ , how could Prompto be this horny when they had literally talked about depressing things almost the whole evening?! But maybe it was just that. Maybe he just wanted to _stop_ _thinking_ about the bad stuff. And since sex was better than getting drunk, a mind-blowing orgasm sounded like just the right thing to crave after right now.

"There's even more I can show you," Gladio said, a smirk appearing on his face as he grabbed his lover's butt cheeks with both hands, pulling him against his body.  
"Show me everything," Prompto whispered before their lips smacked together in a feverish kiss, tumbling to the bathroom without letting go of each other for even one second.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Check out my Profile to find me on Tumblr or Twitter!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/profile)   
> 


	4. Cuddling for body warmth so we don't die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 4 - Cuddling for body warmth so we don't die
> 
> Noct's POV

When Noct woke up the next day, he blinked in confusion. This wasn't his sleeping bag on the rough floor of their tent. This was a nice fluffy bed like no caravan has ever had.

He sat up and took in the sight of the hotel room. The memories from yesterday kept flooding back to him: They had finally reached Lestallum, where they had met Iris, Jared, and Talcott. After a long evening with too many conversations, Gladio and Prompto had made out in the bathroom while he had fallen asleep holding his advisor's hand. He would have preferred to cuddle with his shield after that kind of day, but he couldn't be selfish, seeing that Prompto obviously craved the big guy's attention as well. Noct just wanted to feel safe and loved. But even if he did feel this way with Ignis next to him, it was a different kind of safe than it was with Gladio. He missed his strong embrace, which shielded him from everything - sometimes even from his own thoughts.

Nonetheless, he had slept peacefully beside his advisor and was now ready for the day.

He looked at the empty space beside him, before he found a note with the advisor's distinctive handwriting on the bedside table together with some sandwiches.

Apparently, the guys had already gone out to explore the city while they had let him sleep in. Noctis smiled. He really had needed to catch up on some sleep.

After finishing his morning routine, he went down to the hotel lobby, where he met Iris. Gladio's little sister took it upon her to show him around the market and the city. Noctis had heard much about Lestallum before and he had to admit that the city was as impressive as everyone said.

At the end of their sightseeing walk, Iris smiled at him, batting her eyelashes and called the whole thing a _date_. Noct tried his best to keep his expression neutral. He neither wanted to go on a date with his boyfriend's little sister nor did he want to hurt her feelings. Gladio would be so mad at him either way, yet it was difficult to say anything when Iris didn't even know about the relationship between himself and her brother. The older Amicitia hadn't seen his sister for a while, so she wasn't up-to-date about their relationship status yet. And Noct wasn't sure if Gladio even _wanted_ her to know about their polyamorous arrangement. When Iris had learned about the relationship her brother shared with Ignis, she was happy for them, but he had no idea what the teenage girl thought about polyamorous connections.  
To his luck, Iris defused the situation herself with the mention of Luna. _His_ fiancée.

Sometimes he wondered if Luna actually still was his fiancée. Their marriage had been arranged together with the signing of the peace contract with Niflheim. But by now Insomnia was conquered and the countries were at war. Was there even any meaning left for their marriage? If he was honest, he would prefer to not marry anyone right now. He wasn't ready for marriage. And if he _had_ to marry, he'd prefer his three boyfriends over Luna any time.

Noct shook his head. He shouldn't worry about that now. He wanted to meet Luna anyway. Not because she was his fiancée but because she was the Oracle and his childhood friend. Everything else could be discussed once they've met again.

Iris led their way back to the Leville, where they met Gladio and the others. Talcott told them the legend about a sword behind the waterfall, which Ignis assumed to be about the lost tombs they were searching for. It didn't take long before the four boys had taken their seat inside the Regalia and driven to the location on Noct's demand.

The path to the cave bypassed a giant Midgardsormr, which was fortunately not attentive enough to spot and attack them.

The Greyshire Glacial Grotto cave behind the waterfall was as dark as expected but way colder than one could imagine. Noctis was amazed at how much ice had manifested here when it was reasonably hot outside. It was like stepping into a giant freezer.

He just hoped they'd find the tomb and make it out of here safely again before he froze to death or Prompto had a heart attack out of fear. It wasn't something to laugh about but Noct had to smile when Prompto started to babble about all kinds of monsters which could probably jump at them any given second.

A loud shriek from his blond boyfriend pulled him away from his thoughts and back to reality where they got attacked by a horde of goblins. Maybe he shouldn't have taken Prompto's worries lightly. Fortunately, the goblins weren't strong but they were nasty and many in numbers. Noct was concentrated on fighting them off as he suddenly detected a shadow from above out of the corner of his eye. Before he could react he felt a sudden extenuated impact and then his world went spinning. Still at a loss at what was happening, he held on tight to a familiar warmth around him and waited until the movement had stopped and he knew where was up and down again.

He opened his eyes, which he must have closed at some point, and accessed his situation. He was in the arms of his shield, at the bottom of a long icy slope. Right as he tried to figure out just what had attacked him and shoved them down here, a large Arachne jumped down to them, ready to attack.

Noct immediately summoned a sword from his armiger, to block off the incoming danger. "Gladio!!"  
His shield groaned and slowly got up, taking a defending position as he scanned the area for more enemies. Noctis swung his sword at the Arachne several times and Gladio soon joined him in the fight. They barely avoided a few of its nasty thunder attacks but were fine otherwise.

"Noct! Gladio! Are you alright?" They heard Iggy's worried voice from higher up.  
"Busy!!" Noct answered as he stepped behind the beast to give it a few more slashes. After another swing of Gladio's broadsword, the monster finally dissolved into black smoke.

The prince took a deep breath and watched his shield. The older guy summoned a potion and cracked it in his hand, the relief showing on his face as the healing light flashed over him.  
"We're fine, Iggy," Gladio yelled up towards the cliff they had fallen down from.

"We have disposed of the remaining enemies up here and are fine as well. Can you climb back up?" The advisor questioned.

The shield went to the slope and checked it. It was like a block of ice, slippery with no foothold.  
"We can't climb back up. Guess we are stuck."  
"Is there no other path down there?" Ignis asked, a frown clearly hearable in his voice.

Noct took a look around. They were enclosed by walls from all sides. It felt like the bottom of a large well. He looked up for a convenient warp point, but everything was icy or too dark to even recognize. "Nope. We really are stuck down here."

"Okay..." Ignis said quieter than before, probably thinking how to solve this dilemma. "Listen up. Prompto and I will go back to the Burbost Souvenir Emporium Outpost where we parked the Regalia and ask the local merchant for a rope. With this, you should be able to climb back up. You try to stay calm, so you won't attract any more Daemons, got it?"

"Got it. Be careful on your way!" Gladio answered, his voice unusually soft.  
"You too, love," Ignis whispered back, the sound of his voice almost unheard in the distance.  
"Let's make haste, Prompto!"  
"Yes! We'll be back faster than a chocobo. Don't worry, guys!" The blond said before they left.

Once their two lovers had left, they were greeted with an icy silence. Noct checked the walls of the pit, they had fallen into once more, but it was no use - there was no way they could climb up these slippery, icy walls.

The prince sighed and sat down on the floor. Why did this have to happen? They hadn't even found one of the royal arms yet, although they were sure it had to be around here somewhere. Maybe it had been a little reckless to come here almost unprepared, but Talcott had seemed to be so happy to give his input that Noct wanted to rush, claiming the ancient weapon and presenting it to the little boy. Next time, he would listen to Iggy and prepare in advance.

The floor beneath him was really cold, but he was freezing anyway and standing around waiting would be a pain in the ass. The shield soon flopped down as well, sitting cross-legged in front of him.  
"You hurt from the fall?" Gladio asked, his voice deep but quiet.  
"No, I'm fine. You took all the hits for me... Sorry, I should have paid more attention to my surroundings." Noctis answered and sheepishly looked down.  
"Don't sweat it. The potion healed me up just fine and you couldn't have seen the attack coming. This nasty beast attacked directly from your blind spot," the shield said with a smile.  
"Thanks," Noct answered and looked up. He loved to see Gladio smile and was really happy his shield had saved him. He had felt completely safe in the tall man's arms even though he didn't know what had hit them and where they were falling down to. As long as Gladio was there to shield him, he would always feel safe.

A sudden sneeze ripped him out of his thoughts and made Gladio raise an eyebrow and snort, "You cold?"  
Noct only grumbled and wondered how anyone could _not_ be cold in an ice cave, but then he remembered that his boyfriend was Gladiolus Amicitia - a living furnace. Pressing home this advantage, the prince got up from the icy floor and sat in Gladio's lap, facing his lover. He slung his legs around his lover's torso, laid his head into the bend of his shield's neck and put his arms around the tall man's body, sneaking his cold hands beneath the leather jacket, upon his lover's back.  
" _Shiva's tits_! You really _are_ cold!" The shield sat up straight and took a deep breath as he felt the sudden coldness on his body.  
"Shield me from the cold..." Noctis mumbled against his boyfriend's neck. After the first shock of coldness had subsided, the tall man sighed and followed the wish of his charge, pulling his arms around his prince.

Noct immediately felt better. He felt the warmth radiating from his lover's body and spreading through his own.

Gladio's scent filled his nose as he inhaled deeply and he nuzzled himself even closer against the warm body. He felt safe and almost... at home.

It would have been perfect if it just wouldn't be this cold. A shudder went down his spine even though he cuddled his hot boyfriend. Maybe they needed to heat things up even more, if he didn't want to freeze to death?

Not sure if it was okay to go further, especially in their current situation, Noct started to casually caress his hands up and down on his lover's back. Tracing the soft skin and strong muscles with his fingertips felt divine.

"You still cold?" Gladio asked and started to rub Noct's back with long, firm strokes.  
"Yeah... You need to warm me up," the prince mumbled into his lover's neck, still feeling a little shy. He really wanted to take their relationship to the next level. Especially now that he knew that his body wasn't repulsive for Gladio. There was nothing stopping them from getting intimate now, was there?

Well, right now the fact that they were trapped in an ice dungeon, probably next to a large horde of Daemons, might stop them from going all the way, although, it didn't stop Noct from sneaking his hands from Gladio's back to his front. He kept them under the leather jacket, never losing the skin on skin contact.

At first, he only let his hands rest there, while he slowly kissed his way up from Gladio's neck over his chin until he planted a shy kiss on his lips. They felt a little colder than usual but were still a lot warmer than his own. The shield looked slightly confused but didn't say anything, so Noct got more forward and mashed their lips back together. Feeling courageous he licked over his lover's lips until they opened and their tongues met. 

Noctis already got warmer. He felt a small heat forming in his lower region as he kissed Gladio more eagerly and began to let his hands wander on the shield's chest, rubbing over the older male's nipples.

"Woah, time out, princess!" Gladio said and leaned back, to get some distance between them.  
"Why?" Noct pouted.  
"What if an enemy came down here and attacked us?" The shield answered, pulling up his right eyebrow.  
"We'll just fight them off then," the prince said with a shrug and leaned forward for another kiss, but Gladio put his hand up and between their mouths.  
"You need to pay attention to your surroundings."

Noctis frowned. Was that really all that bothered his boyfriend? Usually, Gladio was never one to turn down approaches.  
"Just a little... to warm me up?" Noct asked, his eyes half closed.  
"Noct, no. Listen..." The shield sighed and easily lifted the prince from his lap to set him down on the floor next to him. "We can't... get distracted."

"Uhu. So a little kissing is already too distracting for you?"  
"It... might be?"  
"Why are you hesitating with your answers?" Noct folded his arms in front of his chest.  
"Because it's... Well, it's complicated." Gladio admitted.  
" _What_ is complicated?" Noctis asked, trying to sound friendly but his nerves were reaching their end.  
"Us?" The shield uttered, sounding very uncomfortable with this whole conversation.  
"You don't want us to get intimate? Is that it?" The prince stated, with an acute voice his advisor would be proud of in any other situation.  
"Noct, no, I... That's not what I said. Well, maybe it is, but..." Gladio sighed once again and took off his jacket, offering it to his charge. "Take my jacket first, you are shivering."

Noctis angrily ripped the piece of clothing from his hand but didn't put it around his shoulders. Instead, he just held it and threw an expecting look at Gladio.  
The tall man rubbed the back of his neck - something he always did, when he was nervous or uncomfortable.

"Gladio, Noct, we have brought a rope!! Iggy is tying it up right now and I'll let down the other end for you as soon as possible! You'll be able to climb up then!" Prompto happily announced from up ahead.

"Thanks, buddy," Noctis answered happily, but his stern gaze never left Gladio, still awaiting his answer. As the shield just looked away, his face torn with uncomfortableness, the prince threw himself at Gladio, mashing their lips together, but the shield pushed him away immediately.

That was it. Noct couldn't be sure if he just got pushed away on reflex, but he didn't care anymore.  
"Fuck you!!" Noctis shouted and threw the leather jacket right into Gladio's face.

Fortunately, the rope fell down at exactly this moment and Noctis climbed it up at once.

It was difficult to climb. He only now realized how numb his fingers and his whole body were from the cold, but the adrenaline kept him going.

When he arrived at the top, he raced by his two lovers, who only watched him in shock. They have had to have heard his little outburst just now, but he didn't care to explain anything. He just wanted to get away. He _needed_ to get away.

Not listening to the shouts of his friends, he blazed his trail through the cave back to the entrance.  
Prompto had run after him and soon caught up with him, a waterfall of worried questions tumbling from his mouth but Noctis didn't manage to hear their meaning: pure rage was burning inside of him, his ears ringing. What in Bahamut's name was Gladio's problem?! Hadn't he said that his body wasn't a problem? Then what was? He himself? His personality?  
Noctis didn't know what to think anymore.

He only stopped his walk of rage, when he arrived at the Regalia, Prompto coming to a halt shortly behind him. Since Ignis had left the roof down, Noctis could easily climb over the car door and sit down on his seat behind the driver.

The blond kept standing beside the Regalia and had stopped talking by now. The prince knew his best friend and lover well enough to recognize, that he was probably worried sick about him by now.

He grunted. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now, but he didn't want to worry Prompto either. Not sure if he could manage to speak friendly with the anger still boiling inside of him, he only gestured for Prompto to join him on the back seat. It didn't take long until the energetic young male climbed into the car and settled down right beside him, sheepishly taking his cold right hand, warming it up between his own.

A short while later Ignis and Gladio arrived at the car. The shield deliberately avoided Noct's gaze and sat down on the passenger seat, since Prompto had taken up his place on the back seat.

Ignis looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it after he had studied Noct's face.

They drove back in silence. A silence icier than Greyshire Glacial Grotto had been.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Check out my Profile to find me on Tumblr or Twitter!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/profile)   
> 


	5. Duty vs. Desire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 5 - Duty vs. Desire
> 
> This is my favorite chapter, I just love to write dialogues! It was the first prompt I've chosen for GladNoctWeek and the whole fanfiction evolved around it!
> 
> Changing POV

Gladio had avoided looking at any of his boyfriends during their drive from the outpost back to Lestallum. The sunlight felt good on his cold skin as it warmed up his body but left him with a cold lump inside his stomach anyway. It hadn't been his intention to upset Noct like that, but he just hadn't known how to voice his worries when he couldn't even grasp them himself. Maybe he had dwelled on this on his own for far too long by now. He absolutely needed to speak to Ignis for advice now before it really got too late.

As soon as they arrived at Lestallum, Noct got out of the car.  
"Prom and I are eating out," the prince said, his voice still sharp, and walked towards the main street at once. Prompto was visibly at a loss at what to do but one short nod from Iggy was enough to get the photographer to follow after their charge.

Gladio sighed. It would be nice if their energetic sunshine managed to lighten up Noct's mood a little.

The two older men had walked back to their hotel room in silence but as soon as they had closed the door behind them, Iggy crossed his arms, an elegant eyebrow pulled up in question.

The shield sighed once more. He had no idea how to approach this topic. But he should do it before Ignis got angry at him as well.  
"I've messed up," he admitted.  
"Oh really?  I wouldn't have guessed."  
_Great_. _Sarcasm_.

Ignis sighed and went to take off his jacket, hanging it meticulously over a chair.  
"Just tell me what happened, love," the advisor said, his voice more empathetic this time.  
Gladio bit his bottom lip. If his lover asked like that, he couldn't keep quiet, but he still was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth a few times, trying to say something, but no words came out. After a short while, Ignis left for the kitchen and Gladio sat down at the table.

He reviewed today's events, thinking about where he had gone wrong, all the while he hung down his head, studying the patterning of the table until he saw a steaming bowl of Cup Noodles being placed before him. As he wanted to grab it on reflex, Iggy pulled it away.

"Will you speak to me after dinner?" Ignis asked, knowing exactly, that his lover would never manage to withstand his favorite fast food.  
"Bribing me with Cup Noodles?" Gladio lamented.  
"Nonsense, love. I merely felt it necessary _you_ felt well enough to talk and _I_ wouldn't have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing a fancy dinner," the advisor explained but still kept the noodles out of his reach.  
"Guess I'm looking really bad if you are resorting to these measures," the shield whispered before he added, "Okay, deal."  
"Fine," Ignis smiled and set their bowls down, joining Gladio at the table. "Enjoy your meal and then tell me what happened: Simply the facts, not your interpretation, and start at the beginning. That would be about a week ago, I assume?"

\---

Noctis continued his walk of rage as soon as they arrived at Lestallum and he had gotten out of the car. He had half the mind to tell Prompto to come along, although he didn't even remember what exactly he had said as he'd left his lovers just for the sake of walking away.

He was so angry, yet he wasn't sure who or what he was the most angry with! Of course, his rage was directed at Gladio. How dare he reject him like that after telling him he loved him at the beginning of their road trip?! Had Noctis been wrong again after all and the shield really was solely interested in a platonic relationship with him? He didn't want to assume that Gladio could have lied to him: neither about not minding his plain body nor about loving him. His shield wasn't someone who toyed with the feelings of others. He'd never pretend to have feelings for Noctis only to make Iggy and Prom happy, even though that thought had crossed his mind a few times when he'd felt insecure. After all, it had been kind of a package deal when Prompto and he agreed to a polyamorous relationship with Gladio and Ignis. And it was no secret that Prompto and Ignis were head over heels for each other lately. Everyone who spared them a glance would notice how _lovey-dovey_ they were with each other while Gladio and Noct only danced around each other awkwardly.

 _Astrals be damned_! Why couldn't he and Gladio be lovey-dovey as well?! And why was he even so desperate for that to happen? He was angry at himself for being impatient. Everyone had their own pace. Ignis and he had taken a little more time before they managed to break the ice around them as well, but once they had, everything was fine. Gladio and Prompto were fine as well and by now fucking like rabbits whenever the occasion called for it.

But him and Gladio? Nothing.

Sure, they cuddled sometimes and they had kissed a few times. But it didn't escape the prince, that lately their intimate moments got fewer instead of more, which made him angry as well!

"Nooo~oooct! Come on, that was like the tenth food stall we've passed by. Do you even _wanna_ eat something?" Prompto whined and made Noctis stop at once, causing his blond boyfriend to walk right into his back. "Woah there!"

"Sorry," the prince mumbled and took a look around. He hadn't even paid attention where he'd been headed to, but they seemed to have ended up on the market. Most of the stalls were closed in the evening but a few remained open, their shopkeepers presenting and promoting their goods with the same enthusiasm they had shown in the morning.

"It's okay, bro," Prompto said and put on a smile, but Noct didn't miss out on the worry reflected in his boyfriend's eyes.

As he got aware of the people staring at them, he continued to walk, but at a more reasonable pace this time. Prompto walked beside him and threw him a worried glance every few seconds.

"Where do you wanna eat?" Noct asked after a while since that was apparently what they had set out to do.  
"Wherever you want," his blond boyfriend answered and Noctis sighed. Of course, Prompto would put his own needs and wishes aside in the current situation.

After passing by a few more market stalls, he spotted a nice little food stall at the end of the market. Some white plastic chairs and tables decorated with red-white checkered tablecloths were sat out for the customer's to use.

Prompto followed him as he sat down on the table furthest away from the market. It wasn't by far as crowded as it had been this morning when he'd walked around with Iris, but Noctis wanted as much distance as possible between him and the crowd.

The menu had been laid on the table and it didn't take long for the owner, a sympathetic elderly man, to come to their table and take their orders. They both chose the spicy skewers and a simple bottle of water, their funds already running low enough as it was. Ignis would be furious if they'd spend what little was left on expensive foods and drinks.

Prompto took out his camera and snapped a few shots. "We've really found a nice place, Noct! I like the atmosphere!"  
Noctis smiled. He loved it when Prompto had this sparkle in his eyes because he got excited about something - even if it was something as simple as a small food stall on the outskirts of town. In any other situation, he even might have considered this to be a romantic date, but his feelings still were all over the place and his thoughts kept drifting away to one pending question.

"Does Gladio really love me?"

\---

Gladio really loved Cup Noodles.

Whenever he had eaten his favorite food, he immediately felt a little bit better. After savoring even the last drop of soup, invigorated by the amazing taste, he told Ignis everything that had happened so far.

"... And then he just threw my jacket at me, climbed up the rope and blazed off like Ramuh's thunderstorm - you know the rest of the story," Gladio said at the end of his narration.

Ignis had listened quietly for the whole time, his stoic face not giving the slightest hint what he was thinking about the whole situation.

"You've really messed up," the advisor pointed out as if it was the most obvious on all Eos - which it probably was.

The shield groaned and hid his face behind his large hands.

"Now, now, no need to fret, love," Ignis said and patted him on the head like a small child. Before Gladio could protest his lover was already off to throw their empty Cup Noodles bowls in the trash.

When the cook returned to the table, he moved his chair closer to Gladio's and sat down once more.

"I am certain the depth of your love for Noctis and your interest in more intimate activities aren't an obstacle, which leaves me with the conclusion that something else is holding you back," Ignis deducted and hit bull's eye.

"That's... one way to phrase it, yeah," Gladio admitted.

"And did you talk to Noct about this? Did you tell him what's making you hesitate and distant?" Ignis asked, knowing that it was easier for Gladio to answer questions than to sort out these thoughts on his own and find the right point to start.  
"No..."  
"Because?"  
"... Because I suck at communication?" Gladio asked, his voice a little desperate.  
"Guess, I can't deny that," the tactician sighed and adjusted his glasses, "but that's why I'm always telling you that you need to communicate more - we all agreed we had to if we wanted this relationship to work out with that many participants. If you weren't sure how to approach this topic with Noct, you could at least have spoken to me or Prompto first."  
"I intended to, Iggy, really! The timing just never seemed right..." Gladio told him in all honesty.  
"I may have been spending too much time with Prompto lately, resulting in me neglecting you and his highness. My apologies," the advisor said and took Gladio's hand into his, "I'd realized something was ajar between you and Noct, but I thought the two of you would be able to sort it out on your own if you spent an increased amount of time together."  
"Don't apologize, Iggy. It's my fault, not yours," the shield answered and squeezed his lover's hand, thankful for the physical contact.

"No, I should have acted before it escalated. I seem to have forgotten that Noctis sometimes has troubles to express himself just like you do. Leaving you two on your own to work things out was way too risky in the first place."  
"You make that sound like we are some kids who aren't able to settle a dispute."  
"Are you not?"  
The shield only groaned and avoided his lover's gaze, causing Ignis to chuckle.  
"All that aside, please tell me what it is, that occupied your mind since last week," Ignis said to get back to the more urgent matters.

Gladio took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, but his thoughts were still all over the place and he didn't know where to start. He kind of knew what it was, that troubled him, but he didn't understand why it did or how he should explain it to someone. Fortunately, Ignis knew him well enough after four years of relationship and even more years of friendship to know how to deal with him in this kind of situation: just ask around it until he hit home.  
"Is it something concerning you and Noctis?"  
"Kind of..."  
"Something he did?" Ignis added carefully.  
"No," Gladio denied.  
"Something you did?"  
"Not... did, but... might do?" The shield answered vaguely.  
" _Might_ _do_? For example?" The tactician asked further.  
"... Hurt him?"  
"Physically or mentally?"  
"Physically," Gladio stated and Ignis frowned.  
"This isn't about you being afraid to hurt him during sex, is it? We've already talked about that topic at the beginning of our relationship _and_ when you started to get physical with Prompto."  
"I know! But I can't help but worry. I'm supposed to protect him, not hurt him, Iggy! He is so delicate and he's more sensitive about his body than I thought. What if I do something wrong and he thinks it's his fault? What if I don't manage to worship him enough and he thinks I don't like his body?" Gladio exclaimed.  
"I assume, he already believes exactly that," Ignis admitted, his voice sounding a tiny bit bitter.  
"What?!" Gladio opened his eyes in shock.  
"Don't shout, love. What do you think why he ran off?" Ignis asked and arched an eyebrow.  
"Because he was fed up with me not answering his questions?" The shield asked carefully.  
" _Or_ because you rejected him and his dysphoria told him it was because you rejected his _body_ ," the tactician stated the obvious.  
"But I've already told him that I've got nothing against his body," Gladio frowned.  
"And _I_ have already told you several times, you wouldn't hurt any of us during sex. Did that make your worries disappear at once? No. Unfortunately, that's not how anxiety works."

Gladio groaned for the umpteenth time this evening and buried his face once more behind his left hand. It was a habit he'd picked up as a little boy and never got rid of. He knew he couldn't outrun his problems by looking away and hiding behind his large hands, but it was a natural reaction by now.  
Ignis still held onto his right hand and his thumb rubbed soothing circles across the back of his hand. "Don't worry, love. It's not too late. I'm sure we can work this out together."  
The shield sighed and looked at his lover like a lost puppy. The advisor leaned forward and placed a reassuring kiss on his lips.

"Correct me, if I'm wrong, but I don't think we've gotten down to the bottom of the problem yet. You seem to have avoided having closer contact with his highness at all, not only during our most intimate moments," Ignis stated, nothing ever escaping his sharp mind.

The dark haired man inhaled sharply. "I just feel like... I'm not allowed to get physical with _his_ _highness_."  
"Ah, so that's it," Ignis clicked his tongues and looked like he had finally found the missing piece of this whole puzzle, "Duty is holding you back."

"I think so, yeah," Gladio rubbed the back of his neck, another habit he fell into whenever he was nervous or uncomfortable, "Yet I'm not sure why I'm suddenly thinking about that. We've always wished to have this kind of relationship with Noct, but now that he is within my reach, I suddenly feel like I'm not allowed to touch him anymore. I _desire_ to touch him, but it's my _duty_ to protect him from getting touched. I don't know what to do, Iggy! I want him so bad, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back. But what if I hurt him? And what about Luna? Isn't he supposed to marry her? What are we even doing getting involved with our already engaged prince?!" His voice got louder and more erratic with every word he spoke. Finally letting out all his worries wasn't easy for him, but he felt a little better now that he had said it all.

Ignis never stopped to caress his hand, keeping him grounded through this outburst of emotions.  
When Gladio's breathing had calmed down again, the advisor spoke up. "When I've spent my first night alone with Noct at Galdin Quay, I've been plagued by similar worries. King Regis had entrusted his son to me once and told me to take care of him like a brother. But what I wanted to do with Noct this night, and eventually _did_ , weren't things one should do with his brother."

Gladio looked up in wonder. "How were you able to do it anyway? I know you are as dutifully as I am - if not even more than me."

"That's true," the advisor chuckled, "but for me, my duty always centered on his highness's wellbeing: My highest priority is to make Noct happy. When king Regis entrusted his son to me like a brother, his intention was that Noct had someone, who cared for him. He was a father who wanted to make sure his son wasn't alone but happy. If Noctis wished for a lover instead of a brother and I even had the luck to reciprocate these sentiments, why should I hold back? Maybe I was a little selfish, but when I looked into Noct's eyes, I knew it was the right decision. He never intended to marry Lady Lunafreya anyway. And even if he had to, it would be for political matters alone."

"You're amazing, Iggy," Gladio whispered.  
"You've only realized that now?" Ignis snickered, "I'd suggest you talk to Noct. Tell him, what you've told me: Explain to him, what worries you and what is holding you back. I'm sure he'll listen to you and honestly tell you his opinion about it. Communication is the key."

"Yeah, you are right. Of course, you are," Gladio answered before he added sheepishly, "Think you could join in on our conversation?"

"Of course, love. I'll make sure you are not misunderstanding each other again. Besides, this is something that's concerning all four of us," Ignis stated before he placed another kiss upon his lover's lips. "I'll send Prompto a text, that we need to talk."  
"Don't!" Gladio shouted before Ignis even managed to grab his phone. "He'll totally freak out if you phrase it like that clichéd _bad news_ or _break up_ sentence!"  
"... I suppose you are right," Ignis furrowed his brows and reflected before he typed on his phone and sent off the message.  
"What did you write now?" Gladio asked curiously.  
Ignis showed him the text message on his phone which read: _Prompto, we are all due to having a conversation concerning the current status of our relationship. Please come back with his highness as soon as possible._  
"That's just _Iggy-ish_ for _We need to talk_ and I'm not sure if that's better or even worse."  
Ignis frowned when Gladio took out his own phone and started to frantically type a message on his own.

\---

"Does Gladio really love me?"

Prompto put down his camera and stared at Noctis in shock. "What?!"

When the prince saw the upset expression on his boyfriend's face, he already regretted speaking up. He shouldn't worry his lover with something that was clearly a problem between him and Gladio. "Nevermind."

"No, no, no! Don't butt out now! I meant it like: _What do you mean?_ or: _What happened to make you doubt him?_ " Prompto elaborated.

"It's... complicated," Noct said after pondering a little and immediately groaned as he realized he'd used the same words Gladio had been using earlier.  
"That's okay. We are two people now, that makes it easier to sort out complicated stuff, so count on me!" His blond lover said encouragingly.

The prince huffed. Prompto's mood could bounce from one extreme to the other but in the end, he always was the one to cheer everyone up.

The food stall owner chose that moment to show up at their table and put down their meals. They thanked him politely and Prompto's stomach growled as soon as he spotted his food.

"Let's eat first," Noct suggested and took a bite from his spicy skewer. The meat was grilled crispy on the outside, but dreamlike soft on the inside, the spiciness adding just the right touch to it. He had to bring Ignis here or tell him about this, so he could add this recipe to his collection.

After their meal, Noct felt a little bit better and was calm enough to talk about everything.

"It's not that I doubt Gladio's feelings, but I don't believe in them either," the prince started out of the blue and Prompto only raised his eyebrow in question.  
"Come on, Noct. You're not making that much sense, contradicting yourself in one sentence."  
"Maybe I've phrased that the wrong way... I believe in his words - and his feelings, I guess - but they just don't match up with his actions?" Noctis tried to explain.  
"What did he do anyway?" The photographer asked.

"I think, he's been avoiding me for a few days. Today he even pushed me away, when I touched his chest and later even when I tried to kiss him," Noctis said and felt the anger slowly bubbling up inside of him again.  
"And you're sure that's had something to do with him not staying true to his feelings and not with you being in an ice cave, where Daemons could jump at you at any given second?" Prompto asked carefully.  
"It wasn't only today, Prom. He didn't want to go bathing with me either. He hasn't cuddled with me since we've left the chocobo ranch, instead, he's always cuddled you or Ignis at night."  
"Are you jealous?" Prompto asked and couldn't keep a small snicker from escaping his mouth.  
"That you're getting fucked by Gladio and he doesn't even want me to kiss him anymore? Yes, maybe I _am_ jealous."

"Sorry... I didn't intend to laugh," the blond man apologized.  
"It's okay, Prom. Not your fault that I'm undesirable and repulsive," Noctis mumbled and looked down at the table.  
"Noct, no! We've both promised each other to have more self-respect!" Prompto exclaimed at once and Noct felt his boyfriend's leg graze his own under the table: an awkward but adorable attempt to play footsie since they couldn't hold hands in public in case someone recognized him.

He tried to smile but didn't manage more than a twitch of the corner of his mouth.  
"He... told me, that he doesn't dislike my body," Noctis admitted.  
"Oh? When did that happen?" Prompto questioned curiously.  
"Two days ago. When we went to the river together. I was kind of freaking out about getting naked in front of him in broad daylight and... told him that I've always worried about him disliking my plain body, but he said he doesn't mind," Noctis explained, a bitter smile gracing his face.

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" The photographer said with an honest smile.  
"Yeah... but why does he keep avoiding and rejecting me then?"  
"Hmm," Prompto furrowed his brows and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms thoughtfully, "Are you sure he is really avoiding you? Maybe that's just your insecurities telling you lies?"  
"Prompto, it's not a lie that he and I are the only ones who haven't gotten physical yet," Noctis stated as a fact.  
" _That_ is a hand-tight argument, bro."

The two young boys watched each other pensively before Prompto's phone _kweeeh_ -ed with an incoming message. Noctis would never get used to this chocobo cry as a ringtone.

He watched his boyfriend pull out his phone, read the message and turn more pale with every second.  
"What's wrong?" he asked concerned.  
"I... I think Iggy says, we need to talk..." Prompto said dreadfully slow as if he couldn't believe his own words.  
"What?!" Noctis inhaled sharply, "Are you sure?"  
"He even used my name and didn't call me darling... must be something serious then," Prompto added quietly, his face still frozen in shock.  
Noctis bit his bottom lip. Was that it? Had Gladio told Ignis he wasn't in for this foursome after all and they had to go back to only being friends? Was that even possible at this point of relationship they all had with each other?  
A second _kweeeh_ rang out and startled them both.  
"What now? Read it to me!" Noctis demanded in all his princely manner. Prompto gulped and hesitated a few seconds before he had found the courage to open the second text message.  
"Gladio wrote: _Don't let Iggy worry you with that message! Princess and I just need to work a few things out - with your help._ "

Noctis sighed, a little relieved. At least it sounded like the problem still was only between him and his shield. Although he was afraid of Gladio wanting to break up with him, he was glad that Prompto wouldn't be directly involved. His blond lover had been so happy since he'd gotten together with Ignis and Gladio as well. He really wouldn't want him to miss out on that happiness again.

"Let's go back, Noct. I'm really afraid of this upcoming conversation, but things can't stay like this," Prompto requested.  
"Yeah, you're right. Better to rip off the bandage quickly," Noctis answered before he got up to pay for their meals and they set out on their way back.

\---

As they arrived back at the Leville, Prompto used the spare key, Ignis had entrusted him with to open the door to their shared hotel room. Once inside, he couldn't contain his worries any longer.  
"Are we breaking up?" the photographer bloated out, his watery eyes full of worry.  
" _Astrals_ , no!" Ignis got up from his chair and went to embrace his blond lover at once, "Whatever gave you that idea?"  
" _Your_ text message!" All three men answered at once.  
"I apologize," the advisor said and let go of Prompto after placing a kiss on top of his head, "There seem to have been a lot of misunderstandings lately. Let's sit down and talk this out gentlemen, shall we?"

Ignis went back to the table, where Gladio still sat, and indicated for his two younger lovers to sit down with them. They did, as they were silently told and flopped down on the two remaining chairs, Noctis and Gladio still avoiding each other's gaze. Prompto nervously looked from the dark-haired man on his left to the dark-haired man on his right and back before his gaze landed on Ignis, pledging the advisor with his eyes to _do_ something about the situation they were in.

The tactician sighed and looked at his two lovers who'd really needed a review lesson on basic communication skills. "Who wants to start?"  
"Sorry for running off like that," Noctis mumbled and kept his gaze fixed on the table as if something really interesting was there.  
"Sorry for not speaking up," Gladio mumbled while he watched the wall to his left.  
"That's a start," Ignis admitted but couldn't refrain from rolling his eyes as the _conversation_ had already stopped again at this point.  
"Why did you run off, Noct?" Ignis asked softly.  
"Oh why, maybe because Gladio outright rejected me? After avoiding me constantly on a daily basis!?" Noctis spit out sarcastically, his fists balled in anger before he took a deep breath to calm down. Shouting wouldn't help anyone in this situation. "I just thought he wouldn't wanna be with me anymore," he added quietly.

That made Gladio turn his gaze towards their prince, a worried expression on his face. "It was never my intention to make you feel like that, Noct! Sorry, I really want to be with you," the shield stated but the prince only looked down again.

After a few moments of silence, Prompto sheepishly spoke up, "Then why are you acting like that, big guy?"  
"Just tell them, what you've told me, love," Ignis added and they all looked at Gladio expectantly.

The big guy sighed and rubbed his neck, "Where should I start...?"  
"Just tell them, what you desire to do but what's keeping you from actually doing it," the tactician helped once more.  
"Okay, so, I... I'm not rejecting you, Noct. I really wanna be with you, with all three of you. I'm loving you all, equally," Gladio reassured them because that was the one thing he could say for certain.  
"Platonically?" Noctis whispered so quietly, it almost wasn't heard.  
"No. I mean yes, I mean platonically and physically. The whole package!" Gladio fretted and started to gesture wildly, forming circles with his arms, afraid of being misunderstood once again.

Noctis smiled a little, the sudden outburst reminding him of Prompto. "Is there a reason the two of us haven't gotten to the physical part yet? I mean, I've been hesitant and insecure in the beginning as well... but you said, you didn't mind my body, did you?"  
"I don't mind, really! On the contrary, you are way more attractive than you think. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back once we get started," the shield admitted, his hand nervously rubbing his neck.

Noctis frowned. "Don't tell me that's the same issue you've had with Prompto, about being afraid of hurting us because you are one massive Garula?"  
Gladio continued to rub his neck and looked away.  
"I can't believe you've let us get into this whole mess because of something so stupid!" Noctis exclaimed.  
"Hush, Noct. One's fears are not to be taken lightly or called stupid," Ignis intervened at once.  
"Sorry..." the prince apologized, "Why are you worrying so much after everything turned out fine between you and Prompto? It's not like his figure and mine are that different."  
"Yeah, we are similar in that aspect," their blond lover confirmed, "and you've never avoided me completely like you did with Noct the last days. We were at least making out a few times before going all the way. No need for you to take Noct right away."  
"But I want to be taken by him right away," the prince pouted and crossed his arms.  
"Noct..." Gladio pledged.

"I'm serious, Gladio. I love you. I want to mess around, kiss you, touch you, take you and _get_ _taken_ by you! Manhandle me like you did with Prom and Iggy!" Noctis said, his voice unwavering but his cheeks heating up in a delicious red.  
"Noct!!" Gladio groaned and hid his red face behind his hands.  
"What? You've never had trouble to openly speak about these topics. What has changed?" Noctis asked, sounding a little confused.  
"There is... something else holding him back," Ignis threw in.

The two younger men watched the shield, waiting for him to elaborate.   
"Listen, Noct. Please believe me when I say that I truly _love_ and _desire_ you, but it's my duty to protect you from... from everything that's getting too close to you - even from myself."  
"You only have to protect me from harmful things, Gladio, and you'd never hurt me," Noctis said, his voice soft.  
"Maybe, but... it's my duty, Noct. I've been raised this way. I've always thought it wouldn't matter. I've always desired you and wanted to _act_ on these desires as well. Iggy can confirm that for you."  
The advisor nodded.  
"But now that it has come to this, I can't stop pondering whether this is right or wrong. What... What would my father say if he knew about this? What would your father, the king, think about this, Noct? Am I really allowed to desire you in such a way? Is a shield even allowed to touch his prince?"  
"Of course he is!" Noctis interrupted Gladio's stream of worries.  
"How can you be so sure? Did you ever talk to your father about this?"  
"No, I didn't talk to him. But it's okay because I'm the prince and I say so!" Noct pouted.  
"That's not a convincing argument, Noct..." Gladio stated desperately.  
"So, what now? You know there is no way to ask your or my father about this anymore," the prince stated with a hint of bitterness, the death of his father still hurting.  
"I know there isn't, that's why I'm stuck with this problem!" Gladio exclaimed and ruffled his hair.

"Uhm... gentlemen," Iggy cuts in, "there's something I've never told you... But that _something_ makes me quite sure that Noct is right with his assumption and both of your fathers wouldn't mind about your involvement with each other."  
"What is it, Iggy?" Gladio asked hopefully.  
"Well, it's... It's a secret," the advisor stated.  
"Since when do you keep secrets from me, Specs?" Noctis asked and knitted his brows.  
"Since the king himself asked me to keep quiet about it," Ignis explained.  
"That's not helping us in any way..." Prompto sighed.  
"My father kept secrets from me?" Noctis almost sounded hurt.  
"He didn't intend to keep this secret from you forever, Noct. He wanted to tell you soon, but now..." Ignis stopped midsentence.  
"Now he never will..." the prince concluded.  
"My apologies," Ignis said, his voice calm.

An eerie silence settled around them before their prince spoke up once more. "Won't you tell me in his stead?"  
"Noct, I-"  
"Please, Iggy. Do me this favor," Noctis pledged, his eyes reflecting a million feelings, Ignis wouldn't be able to ignore.  
"Certainly," the advisor gave in, "You see... king Regis and Clarus... How do I put this? They were together."  
"King and shield are always together, yeah," Noctis stated.  
"No, that's not what I meant. There was more to it. They shared a deeper connection."  
"Like brothers do?" Prompto asked.  
"No, that's not it either" Ignis frowned, "They... were involved with each other."  
"They've always been best friends, yeah!" Gladio butted in.  
" _By the balls of Ifrit_! How do I have to phrase it, so it gets into your thick skulls? They were _fucking_ each other!" Ignis exclaimed.  
"No way..." Prompto whispered in disbelief about Ignis swearing and about the content of his swearing.  
"Every way!" the tactician stated as he took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose, "I accidentally walked in on them once."  
"Aren't you always telling us it's important to knock?" Prompto shrieked, his face a deep shade of red as the realization slowly sank in on him.  
"I did. Right before his majesty deeply moaned _Yes!_ "  
"Oh," Prompto voiced.  
" _Oh_ , indeed," Ignis added and looked at the faces of his two other lovers. It appeared, they were both silenced by this information.

"Anyway," the tactician put on his glasses again, "That's why I'm quite sure they wouldn't have said anything against your relationship."  
"Guess they _couldn't_ say anything against it..." the photographer mumbled, still trying to process this information.

"Thanks for telling us, Specs," Noctis said once he had woken up from his trance, although his mind was clearly still occupied by this new insight.  
They all looked at Gladio, waiting for his opinion on this new piece of information.

"I... I need to sleep over this," the shield mumbled eventually.  
"Certainly," Ignis answered, a quick glance at his phone telling him it was already after midnight.  
"Although I guess that makes all my worries appear ridiculous..." Gladio snorted and laughed at himself.  
"It's not ridiculous, Gladio. You were raised to put your duty as a shield before everything else and you only wanted to avoid hurting me," Noctis said with an understanding voice.  
"But I still failed and ended up worrying _and_ hurting you," the shield sighed, "Sorry."  
"It's alright. At least we've talked about it now," the prince answered.  
"Would you... cuddle me again tonight? Like you did in the afternoon at the chocobo ranch?" Gladio whispered.  
"Of course, you big baby guy," Noctis answered, his voice thick with emotion, "Just don't go avoiding me later again."  
"I won't. Promise," the shield said with a smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Check out my Profile to find me on Tumblr or Twitter!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/profile)   
> 


	6. Bodyguard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 6 - Bodyguard
> 
> Gladio's POV

It had been a restless night for Gladio, even though cuddling up to Noctis had been nice: the warmth of his body, his soothing scent, the way he started to cling to Gladio even more once he had fallen asleep while a content small smile graced his face. Gladio's body had felt well, but his mind just hadn't been able to find any rest.

While he enjoyed the cuddling, he was still relieved when the first rays of the morning sun shone through the half-closed blinds of the windows. He freed himself from Noct's embrace and sat up in bed. As he rubbed his eyes, more exhausted than rested, he heard the sheets in the other bed rustling and he was graced with the rare sight of a sleepy Ignis. The advisor looked around and blinked a few times before he was truly awake and frowned when he saw Gladio was already up as well. It didn't take long for the tactician to get out of bed – gracefully and quiet like a Coeurl – and nodded towards the shield to follow him into the small kitchenette of their hotel room.

Gladio tried to get out of bed as quietly as Ignis had done, but he once again had to learn that he would never be as graceful as his agile lover when the bedsprings creaked as soon as he moved. Fortunately, Noct always had a deep sleep and didn't even seem to realize that he was getting up right next to him.

When he entered the kitchen, his lover smiled at him and passed him a can of his precious Ebony. The shield looked at him in wonder before he smiled back and quietly accepted the gift.  
“You look like you need it,” the cook said, his voice still a little rough from sleep. Gladio nodded and opened the can to take a sip. The bitterness wasn't his favorite taste, but he appreciated it this morning.

Ignis cast him an estimating look, probably reading his thoughts and pondering if he should say something but deciding against it. He took out their supplies and prepared a light breakfast, while Gladio watched him and enjoyed the quietness of the morning. The rising sun painted the kitchenette in rich, warm colors and the birds chirped happily. It was wondrously how Gladio's mind seemed to calm down more when he simply watched his lover diligently work in the kitchen than at night when he really had _tried_ to get some rest.

He didn't even realize Ignis intercepting his preparations and blinked when his lover's face suddenly was right before his eyes. “Are you still sleeping?”  
Gladio snorted. “I don't think I've slept at all last night.”  
His lover smiled worriedly and caressed his cheek before he placed a firm and reassuring kiss upon his lips. “As much as I'd love to let you relax today, we really need to take on some hunts to earn money. Our supplies are as good as depleted.”  
“It's okay, I'm fine,” Gladio answered on reflex, his protectiveness taking over. He couldn't be the one to let the other's down.  
“Would you wake up the boys while I finish preparing breakfast?” The cook answered, but it sounded more like an order than a question.

The shield nodded and went to go as he was told, but not without grabbing his lover's butt and stealing another quick kiss from him. Ignis rolled his eyes but let it go without any further comment.

It wasn't an easy task to get the boys out of bed: Noctis was especially grumpy this morning, probably because they had gone to bed late yesterday, causing the prince to be even more sleep deprived than usual.

Breakfast went by rather quietly, as everyone was tired and seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Ignis was the one who broke them out of their trance and explained the necessity to take on hunts today: They not only needed to stock up on supplies but on curatives as well. Furthermore, they didn't even have enough Gil to spend another night at the Leville. The hotel was nice but expansive. Iris and Jared had offered to pay for their room, but they would soon run out of Gil as well. Gladio didn't want his sister and butler to spent their last funds on them because it would be hard enough for them to earn money in these times, and if he was honest, a day with hunting and camping looked promising to a wilderness lover like him.

Taking on a hunt wasn't a problem at all –quite the contrary– the citizens of Lestallum were plagued by far more monster attacks than expected. After hearing how many and what kind of monsters and Daemons had caused them troubles over the last days and weeks, they couldn't ignore the distress of the people. Earning money by helping others was like killing two birds with one stone. All in all, they had decided to take on the three most pressing hunts and left Lestallum through the tunnel in the east.

They didn't need to search long before they've found their first target: a wild horde of Arbas. Gladio surged ahead into battle and moved like on autopilot as he hit the long-necked creature. He had hoped the battle would distract him from the thoughts which had kept him up all night, but he wasn't that lucky. Their conversation from yesterday evening still lingered in his head. He was angry at himself that he couldn't concentrate on the fight. He always enjoyed the physical activity and it usually helped him to clear his head but not today. The fact that his father had something going on with king Regis had outright shocked him. He didn't mind that his dad had found another lover after his mother had died shortly after Iris's birth, but he was a little sad his dad never entrusted him with this information. Why had he kept it secret? He knew that Gladio was in a relationship with Ignis and therefore wouldn't have anything against a relationship between men. Then what other reason could his father have had to hide it? Had he been ashamed of his relationship? Was it because his dad had been plagued by the same doubts as he was now? Was it, after all, _not_ _allowed_ for a shield to be in a relationship with his king? Had he been neglecting his duty and wouldn't want Gladio to know, because he had always been a stern and proud father, who had preached his son the importance of duty?

“Gladio!!”  
The reprimanding voice of Ignis cut him out of his thoughts. The advisor stood directly in front of their prince, fending off another Arba while Noct got up from the ground. The shield had indeed managed to keep the long-necked creature in front of him at bay, but had been so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't have a clear overview of the battle.  
“Help Prompto!” The tactician ordered him and Gladio saw that the sharpshooter was getting chased by two Arbas, his face torn by pain and his left shoulder obviously hurt. His protective instincts took over at once: he finished off his own enemy with one violent swing of his broadsword before he ran forward to help his blond lover. It was an easy task for him to hit both monsters at once, giving Prompto the chance to take a potion and heal his injury. The gunslinger sighed in relief and immediately supported the shield with some targeted shots.

Afterwards, the fight continued without any further incidents, but they didn't even have the time to catch their breath because they immediately got attacked by a pack of Saberclaws. Gladio wasn't sure if he should feel lucky that they didn't have to search for their second target, as he pulled himself together and placed himself between Noct and the incoming attack.

 _By the mighty swords of Bahamut!_ He might have been unobservant at the beginning of their fight, but this wouldn't happen to him again. It was his duty to protect Noctis and his pride as a bodyguard ordered him to look after his other two boyfriends just as well. Of course, he knew that they were all more than capable to defend themselves and weren't in need of his help all the time, but he felt like he had to make up for his earlier slackness. Therefore, in this battle, he threw himself more than once in front of his lovers, shielding them from danger and taking the hits for them. It hurt. It hurt a lot, but only his body, not his mind. He took the wounds with pride until Ignis hit him on the back of his head after they had killed all Saberclaws, chiding him for being this reckless.

Gladio growled. He really was out of it today.

"Pull yourself together, Gladiolus!" Ignis hissed. The shield knew his boyfriend was seriously pissed whenever he referred to him without his nickname.  
"I could have blocked that attack just well without you jumping in and getting yourself unnecessarily hurt," the advisor reprimanded as he ruggedly gave him a potion, "We are earning money to refill our stock. If you take every hit that comes flying at us and use up all our curatives, there is no point in all this!"

Even though the tactician was angry, he couldn't mask the severe concern in his eyes, as he checked Gladio's body for wounds and forced him to take a second potion so that he was completely healed up.  
"I just... wanted to protect you guys," the shield explained quietly.  
"I know, love," Ignis sighed before his voice got stern once more, "but you know what we are capable of and when we really need a helping hand. Furthermore, _you_ are more than capable to fend off an enemy's attack without constantly getting hurt. I won't tolerate this self-destructive attitude you've shown just now!"  
The advisor emphasized his words by pointing his finger against Gladio's chest in a reprimanding way.

Noctis and Prompto had silently watched the exchange. They knew just as well as him when there was no way to stop Iggy in his lecture and that any talking back while he was still going on only made it worse. When their tall lover had finished expressing his thoughts and had taken a deep breath, Gladio felt safe enough to speak up.  
"Sorry, you are right. I need to defend myself just as well as I need to defend you. A broken shield won't help anyone."

"That is correct. _Your_ safety is important as well," Ignis smiled before he walked over to their younger lovers, checking them up for injuries. Prompto protested when Iggy gave him a potion, probably afraid to use any curatives after the advisor's speech about collecting bounties to buy curatives not to use them, but Ignis insisted.  
"Please don't get me wrong. It was inevitable that you got hurt, darling, so take it to heal your wound. I just don't want any of you to receive injuries that could easily have been avoided," the tactician explained.

Noctis had walked over to Gladio in the meantime, his face unusually worried. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, I am. Sorry if I worried you," the shield said and rubbed his neck.  
"We can take a break and finish the other hunt tomorrow if you are not feeling up to it today," the prince suggested.  
"No, the sooner we take out these beasts, the better," Gladio forced himself to smile and patted his prince on the shoulder in what he hoped to be a reassuring way.

He didn't miss the worried glances his lovers shared when they thought he wasn't looking, but he ignored them anyway. It was true that his performance hadn't been his best today, but he was adamant about making up for it in the next fight. He would fulfill his job as the bodyguard of the group whenever they needed him to.

He took a deep breath as they continued their walk through the field on the search for the last wanted monsters. There was supposed to be a nasty swarm of Killer Bees around here somewhere. The bounty for them was especially high and even though they were happy about the prospect of a huge gratification, they were well aware that this only indicated what a huge kind of threat these monsters were. Gladio really needed to concentrate on the battle this time instead of messing up again.

He had done that more than enough this week already.

The mood of their group had severely faltered over the last days and Gladio took the sole blame for it. Sure, Noctis had snapped and walked away in a rage yesterday, but that had been Gladio's fault as well. He was angry at himself for that. He finally had the relationship he had always wished for and all he did was messing up and making things worse instead of better.

He loved Noct. He loved him so much, he wasn't even sure how he could ever express these intense feelings. He loved him so much, that he was afraid of losing him, of hurting him, of disappointing him - all things he usually wasn't insecure about.  
But his feelings for Noct had hit him so hard, that he didn't understand himself anymore. Of course, he had lived through similar predicaments when his feelings for Ignis and Prompto had gotten unleashed, but it hadn't been this difficult for him back then. He wasn't sure what it was that caused him to freak out even more whenever Noctis was involved. He was quite sure that he loved Noct just as much as he loved Iggy and Prom - his feelings were equally strong for all of them.  
It might have something to do with the fact that his whole life he had been told to protect Noct. Rationally thinking their newly found relationship shouldn't affect him in his duty in any way. Of course, he had let Noctis see his weak side and had cuddled up to him in a moment of weakness and need, but he was still adamant on protecting Noct if not even more so than before. Yet, being this close to Noctis had shown him sides of his prince he hadn't known before. Ever since Noctis had told him about his body insecurities that day at the river and how much he had dwelled on Gladio's words as he had called him scrawny, the shield was afraid to unintentionally hurt Noct. What if he made another joke the prince took to heart and got hurt by? What if he had already caused irreparable damage with his words and Noct would never be able to appreciate his own body now? He couldn't let this happen. He wanted nothing more than to correct his mistake. He wanted Noct to realize how beautiful he was. But the more he wanted this, the more pressured he felt and the more he was afraid of messing up.

Gladio sighed. His thoughts were running in circles again. Why couldn't he just stop thinking and act like he usually did? They had talked about this: they both wanted a relationship. That was a fact. A fact that proved that there was no need for Gladio to worry about duty or going too far or doing something he didn't have Noct's consent for.

There was no reason to hesitate, but like Ignis had said, that's not how anxiety worked. Gladio was angry at himself for having these irrational fears and wanted nothing more than to suffocate them. 

"Target ahead!" Prompto called and immediately fired off the first shot with his pistol, which made at least one of the Bees lose a leg. The swarm of monster insects didn't hesitate to aggressively attack them. Gladio hated these nasty beasts. The buzzing of the flapping of their wings was loud enough to haunt him in his nightmares and even though they were much larger than normal insects they weren't less deftly and flew not only fast but also high enough to be out of reach almost all the time.

Fortunately, they had to come close whenever they wanted to attack, giving him the perfect chance for a counterattack.

Unfortunately, Gladio almost never managed to land a hit. He was trained enough to swing his tall and heavy broadsword with ease, but the Bees still managed to avoid getting hit by him and fled back up to the sky.

Their blond sharpshooter had no trouble to keep them out of his reach with his perfectly aimed shots and Ignis was agile enough with his daggers to defend himself and deal them a few hits whenever the monsters dared to attack him. Noctis tried to hit the beasts with his favorite sword but soon had to realize that it was in vain. Even warping up to them didn't prove to be a successful tactic and the prince landed back on the ground to change his weapon. He had just put away his sword and reached into the Armiger to summon a weapon more suitable for this fight when Gladio detected how one of the Bees was lounging a nosedive to attack the prince from behind.

"Noct!"  
His instincts took over once more as he threw himself between his prince and the incoming attack, successfully shielding him from danger. The Bee's sting had hit the blade of Gladio's broadsword and the monster flew back into the sky, obviously shaken from the hard impact.  
"Thanks!" Noctis smiled happily as he thanked Gladio and summoned his gun, following Prompto's example to shoot at the flying enemies. His aim wasn't as accurate as their gunslinger's, but a few bullets managed to hit their target anyway. Gladio watched him proudly and was happy that he had been able to protect him. He still got it after all, no need to worry that much! He could fulfill his duty as a shield!

"Gladio!" Ignis's cry reached him at the same instant he felt a burning sting in his right thigh. He instinctively hit the Bee with his right fist before he grabbed his thigh, the flesh throbbing in pain.  
_Fuck.  
_ He couldn't back down now, a little bit of pain wouldn't stop him.

At least that was what he had thought.

But as he looked up, the world seemed to waver. There was a ringing in his ears and everything felt kind of dull. He looked directly in front of him where he expected Noctis to be, but instead, he saw an even larger Bee. Was that the Queen Bee they had heard about? How had the beast managed to get between him and Noct in just a few seconds? That wasn't good.

Noct had switched back to his swords and was trying to hold the large Bee off, but it was too persistent.

Gladio had to help him!  
He could do it.  
He was still dizzy, but that didn't matter.  
His thigh still hurt, but that didn't matter.  
He couldn't make out the voices he heard in the distance, but that didn't matter.  
He had to save Noct.  
He was his shield.  
His protector.  
His bodyguard.  
He had to save him, that was all that mattered.

Gladio tightly gripped his broadsword as he swung it at the Queen Bee with all the might he could gather in his current state.

He would never forget the shocked cry of pain he heard, when his sword hit the target in front of him, inflicting a severe gash, red blood filling his field of vision completely.

Noct's cry.

Noct's blood.

_Noct._

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Check out my Profile to find me on Tumblr or Twitter!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/profile)   
> 


	7. Injury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 7 - Injury
> 
> Noct's POV

Shortly after Noct had been saved by Gladio, the shield had gotten stung by a Killer Bee. The prince worriedly spared a glance over his shoulder and saw his lover's face torn in pain. The wound itself couldn't be huge, but who knew what kind of poison these nasty monsters injected into their enemies.

Noctis wanted to help his tall lover, but he was too busy fighting off the Bee directly in front of him, which was suddenly way more aggressive than before. He had switched back to his sword and if he wanted to, he could just warp out of reach, but that would leave Gladio unprotected and his lover really seemed too out of it to protect himself properly right now. He heard Ignis worriedly shouting out to them, but their advisor was constantly getting attacked by two Bees at once and therefore couldn't come over to rescue Gladio. Prompto was standing too far away and kept shooting at his own swarm of Bees.  
How many of these pesky beasts were there anyway? He had to do this on his own!  
"Gladio! How bad are you hurt? Try to take an antidote," he shouted as he blocked another attack from a Bee and worriedly glanced back to his lover, who was obviously dizzy and had troubles to keep standing straight.

As Noctis continued to block the attacks of the aggressive Bee and tried to land a few hits on his enemy, he suddenly felt an ominous aura behind him. He turned his gaze just as Gladio's broadsword slashed across his back and even the adrenaline didn't stop him from crying out in pain immediately. The impact of the hit made him tumble over and fall down at once.

He couldn't think straight anymore. He didn't know what was happening or what he should do, he just knew that his back _hurt_. Almost as bad as back then when he had gotten attacked by that Naga as a kid.

He had half the mind to hear someone shout his name before he suddenly got engulfed by a coldness rivaling the iciness of Greyshire Glacial Grotto.

He closed his eyes.  
He was hurt.  
He was cold.  
He was engulfed by darkness.  
He heard gunshots.  
He heard voices.

Until suddenly a warmth started to spread from within his body, accompanied by an outside source of heat.

"Noct?"

He groaned in pain.  
He heard the familiar sound of a potion getting cracked open and the warmth inside him continued to spread. With a huge amount of effort, he managed to slightly open his eyes and was graced by Iggy's worried face. His _way too worried_ face.

He winced in pain as he tried to speak up and his advisor immediately used another potion on him. Noctis finally managed to take a deep breath without the stabbing pain in his back. Relieved by this he started to take more deep breaths, enjoying the air filling up his lungs, the pain subsiding even more with every passing second.

"Is he okay?" He heard Prompto's worried voice from not far away.  
"Yes, he will be fine," Ignis spoke up right next to him and he only now realized, that he was lying on his side, his head securely placed on his advisor's lap.

"Gladio's still unconscious..." the worried voice of his blond lover made him open his eyes at once.

_Gladio!_

He tried to get up on reflex, but his body was too sluggish, causing him to fall back down before he was even up, Iggy protectively cradling him in his arms. "Slowly, Noct. Your body still needs rest."  
"G-Gladio..." he said, his voice way too raspy.  
"Have you given him the antidote?" Ignis asked and reassuringly patted Noct's head before he affectionately started to caress his cheek.  
"Yes! And I think it worked because his face isn't torn in pain anymore," Prompto explained, his voice still panicked nonetheless.

"That's the most important thing. Just give him a potion and let him rest a little," Ignis instructed.  
"Sure! Do you have another one at hand?" Prompto responded.  
The advisor frowned. "I'm quite afraid I've used all those I've summoned just now on Noct. Do summon another bunch."  
"Oh," Prompto said and concentrated as he searched through their collective stock inside the Armiger, "Uhm... Iggy?"

Noctis didn't like the silence that stretched out between them at all. What was wrong? Why didn't anyone of them pull out a potion and heal Gladio?

The prince tried to open his eyes again but he was still too exhausted.  
"Guys...?" Noctis mumbled weakly.  
"Everything is alright, Noct. You can trust me," his advisor said and placed a kiss on his forehead, but Noct could feel his hands trembling.

Before he could say something, he was softly placed on the ground as Ignis got up.  
"We need to act at once. There is a haven not too far away. We've passed by it on our way. Prompto, you have to carry Noct. I'll take Gladio. Hurry."  
"O-okay!" Prompto answered and Noctis wanted to protest that he could walk on his own, but he wasn't even awake enough to answer and soon drifted off completely as he was slouched against Prompto's back.

-

When he woke up later, he felt more rested than before. He opened his eyes and was relieved to see the familiar roof of their tent, illuminated by their small petroleum lantern.

"Noct? Are you up? How are you feeling, buddy? Does it still hurt? Do you need anything?" Noctis chuckled as his blond boyfriend patted his face and bombarded him with questions.  
"I guess, I'm fine..." he said and slowly tried to get up, his energetic boyfriend immediately supporting him by his shoulders and this time Noctis managed to sit up with his help.

He wanted to ask what had happened when he heard a pained groan next to him and looked to his right side.  
"Sorry..." Ignis said as he finished disinfecting the wound on Gladio's right thigh. The wound itself didn't appear big enough to be worrying but the skin around it was painted in an angry red. His shield flinched every time the advisor touched it, as he carefully but diligently put an ointment on the hurt skin, chanting a constant chorus of reassuring words. Noctis reached out and took Gladio's left hand in his, tightly holding it until Ignis had finished his nursing.

"Noct?" Gladio asked as he slowly opened his eyes, his voice sounding more broken than the prince had ever heard it before.  
"Yeah?" Noctis answered and squeezed his lover's hand tighter, as he sat a little closer to him.  
"I'm so sorry, Noct," his shield whispered and tears started to roll down his face, "Sorry. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay, I'm alright," Noct was a little lost, as he saw his lover cry for the first time. Prompto's hands quivered on his shoulders as their blond lover couldn't hold back his own tears any longer either.

"Guys, what's wrong? I'm fine," the prince looked out for Ignis in a desperate search for help. The tactician forced himself to smile.  
"I shall explain... Just... give me a short moment to compose myself," his advisor cleared his throat and cradled Gladio's right hand in his own, placing a few kisses on it, while he caressed Gladio's face with his left hand, unsuccessfully trying to wipe away the never-ending stream of tears with his thumb.

Noctis cuddled up to Gladio's left side, pulling Prompto with him to lay down behind him. He was trapped between his two crying lovers and felt a lump inside his throat and a familiar burning behind his eyelids, but he refused to crack up as well, not when Iggy still held up his composure likewise.

"How much do you remember, Noct?" Ignis asked and cast him a worried look. The prince tried to sort out his thoughts and remember what had happened.  
"We were fighting these Bees and Gladio saved me when I switched weapons," he explained because he clearly remembered that part, "But then Gladio got stung by one of them and seemed to be poisoned. And then..." Noctis frowned. What had happened next? He remembered a gushing pain on his back. A heavy blow. A deep cut. Gladio's torn face, but... that couldn't be?!

"I've hurt you, Noct," Gladio managed to say between sobs and his voice sounded so pained, Noctis wanted nothing more but to deny the truth, but instead he kept quiet and just cuddled closer to his lover.

"The poison had caused Gladio to see illusions," Ignis explained, "He couldn't distinct enemies from friends anymore."  
"I'm so sorry, Noct!" Gladio said for the umpteenth time and Noctis was at a loss for what to do. He didn't want his lover to cry like that, didn't want him to be hurt that deeply.  
"It's... it's not your fault, Gladio. And besides, I'm fine again. Ignis saved us. Or Prompto did... I don't really remember, but we are all fine now." Noctis tried to reason and placed a quick kiss on Gladio's lips. The shield couldn't stop his tears from falling, though.

"I was out of my mind, Noct," Gladio whined, "But I've hurt you. You've screamed, Noct. And... there was blood. So much blood, Noct. _Your_ blood on _my_ blade."  
The shield couldn't stop himself from crying even harder, his body shaking uncontrollably. A quick look at his advisor, who bit his lip to stop it from quivering, told Noctis that it must have been really bad. To be honest, he didn't remember much of it. The pain was so strong, he must have lost consciousness soon.

"Gladio fell down right after you, Noct..." Prompto whispered between hick-ups, "I saw you both lying on the ground, hurt and surrounded by Bees. I was so afraid my brain stopped working and I didn't even know what to do anymore. It needed Ignis to throw a large ice spell at the swarm to break me out of my trance and run to you."

"That was... very reckless of me," Ignis said with a pained expression, "The magic had hurt you two as well because you lay so close to the enemies."

Noctis remembered the cold. It had engulfed his whole body, but back then he hadn't understood what had happened.

"Fortunately, the ice had managed to incapacitate the Bees enough for Prompto and me to take them down with merely a few more hits," the advisor continued the story, "I immediately summoned a bunch of curatives to heal Noct's wound. I... really was afraid I had been too late before you regained consciousness."

Ignis leaned over and placed a quick kiss on Noct's lips as if he needed to reassure himself that he was indeed still alive. Prompto hugged him tighter from behind and cried into his shirt.

"Prompto gave Gladio an antidote to stop the poison from spreading. Unfortunately, we had run out of curatives then and it was by far too late to drive back to Lestallum. It was already dark when we reached the haven and we wouldn't have managed to carry you both the rest of the way to the car without risking to get into a fight with the Daemons at night. It was our best option to set up camp and treat Gladio's wound the old-fashioned way," Ignis cast a worried look at his oldest lover, "I'm sorry, I'm unable to lift your pain completely, love."

Gladio shook his head. "It's fine... I've deserved it."  
"Nonsense," Ignis said with a sharp voice, "No one deserves pain. Especially not you."

"Does it still hurt, big guy?" Prompto put up his head and asked worriedly.  
"It's okay if the wound doesn't get touched," he answered honestly, "It's more like my whole leg feels kinda numb."  
"That's due to the aftermath of the poison. It should be better tomorrow," Ignis reassured them.

"I..." Gladio started but didn't continue as another wave of sobs rocked through his body.  
"Try to calm down, love. Everything is alright now," Ignis said reassuringly, as he laid down on Gladio's right side, carefully avoiding to touch his hurt leg, only cuddling onto his chest.  
"I've messed up again," the shield sobbed, "I should protect you guys. But instead I... I've hurt Noct and put you all in danger with that stunt."

"It's... not like you intended to do that, Gladio," Noctis tried to reason, "It could have happened to any one of us. I'm not mad at you or disappointed. I forgive you."

Noctis didn't know what to do. No matter what he said or did, his shield just wouldn't stop crying. So he just cuddled as close to his lover as he could and held him tightly in his embrace, caressing his head and placing soothing kisses on it from time to time.

He couldn't tell how much time had passed until Gladio finally stopped crying and seemed to have regained his composure.

"I... I hope, you are not afraid of me now?" Gladio asked quietly and Prompto, who had stopped crying quite a while before Gladio had, answered before Noctis had a chance to speak up.  
"Of course not. You'll never be as scary as Iggy," the blond chipped.  
"What was that?!" Ignis answered, pretending to be offended and immediately got up to walk to the other side of the tent, starting to mercilessly tickle Prompto. Their blond lover screamed and squirmed, but didn't manage to free himself from the advisor's assault.

Prompto's laugh had always been contagious and soon Noctis chuckled as he watched his lovers. Even Gladio's face showed a small smile.

It didn't take long for Prompto's laughter to turn into surprised little moans as the tactician started to put his skilled hands to better use than tickling his lover.

Noctis blushed and looked away on reflex. He knew by now that Ignis could get horny once the tension of a stressful day had fallen from his shoulders, but right here and now? In the tent next to him and Gladio?

The shield cleared his throat and desperately tried to keep his gaze fixed to the roof of the tent, obviously affected by their lovers' exchange as well. Noctis spared another look at his advisor and was greeted with a devilish grin and a wink.

 _Ignis was doing this on purpose._  
He knew exactly how to touch Prompto, to make the young one moan and squirm and turn into a vocal puddle beneath his skilled hands. And he did it knowing full well how affected all of them got by Prompto's sexy noises.

Noctis was still lying halfway over the left side of Gladio's body. He started to innocently trace the lines of his shield's eagle tattoo with the tip of his finger: from his shoulder, over his collarbone to the top of his chest, where the hem of his lover's shirt blocked his way. Gladio moved his head and their gazes locked. They both tried to read the other's thoughts and intentions but otherwise didn't move one inch except for Noct's finger still circling above the edge of his shirt.

A deep moan from Prompto pulled them out of their trance as Noctis bucked his hips on reflex, his starting hard-on rocking against Gladio's hip. The shield groaned and his lips quivered before he whispered, "You're... not afraid to get hurt?"  
"Never," Noctis answered with all the determination he could bring up.  
"Okay," the shield aspirated and that was all the reassurance Noctis needed before he closed the short distance between their lips and kissed his lover passionately.

The prince sighed contently as he _finally_ kissed Gladio and didn't get pushed away by him as he had at Greyshire Glacial Grotto. Gladio's hot tongue traced over his lips before he wantingly opened them up to meet his lover's tongue with his own. Feeling how eagerly his shield kissed him, Noctis wondered why they had let their anxieties hold them back that long before finally giving in to the desire they both obviously shared for each other.

The longer the kiss lasted, the messier it got. Noctis got so absorbed into it that he couldn't concentrate on moving his hands anymore. So he reluctantly let go of his shield's tempting lips, placing open-mouthed kisses along his neck instead, down to his collarbone and the top of his chest where he once again met the resistance in form of Gladio's shirt. He grumbled quietly and picked on the annoying piece of cloth with a displeased look. "Off with this."

Gladio chuckled. "Then take it off, princess."  
Noctis pouted as he realized he had to do the work. Couldn't they just magically be naked within a second? Or Gladio, at least. He himself didn't mind to keep his shirt on for a little while longer, the voice buried deep inside his head still telling him that it would be better to hide his scrawny body from the sight of others.

Noct went back to kissing Gladio's sinfully attractive lips for a few moments longer before he finally sat up beside his lover. He grumbled as he once more pulled at the hem of his shield's shirt and the taller man rolled his eyes. Nonetheless, Gladio sat up as well as possible with his still handicapped and aching leg to put his shirt off with one swift move.

"Better?" Gladio smirked.  
"Way better," Noctis confirmed and leaned forward to kiss his way from Gladio's shoulder to his chest, where he didn't hesitate to stimulate his lover's sensitive bud with his tongue. His shield's deep moan reverberated inside his belly and Gladio put his hand on Noct's neck, affectionately ruffling the tips of his hair. Spurred on by this reaction, the prince caressed his lover's other nipple with his hand, alluringly swirling his finger around it, before he started to carefully roll the sensitive bud between his fingers. He heard Gladio take a deep breath as the shield obviously tried to contain his composure and a little smirk found its way to Noct's lips. He couldn't wait to coerce even more reactions out of his lover. Noctis was starting to understand why Ignis enjoyed teasing his lovers from time to time.

He yelped when he suddenly felt his own nipple getting pinched. How had Gladio even managed to slip his hand beneath Noct's shirt without him noticing it? The prince looked up and was greeted with a way too sexy smirk of his lover. "Why don't you take that off as well?"

Noctis hesitated, although he knew the hesitation was only caused by his irrational anxiety. When Gladio realized his uncertainty, he immediately pulled his hands away from Noctis, making the prince inwardly scream in protest.

 _Astrals, be damned._  
He mustn't hesitate any longer or Gladio would fall back to keeping his distance, a sliver of regret already shimmering in the shield's eyes. Noctis took a deep breath and pulled off his shirt before he immediately leaped forward to claim his lover's lips in a heating kiss, the force of his movement pushing the tall man back down on his sleeping bag.

He heard Prompto whistle approvingly from the -not so far away- other side of the tent and felt his cheeks flare up. Gladio was a little taken aback by the sudden assault but soon reciprocated the kiss, his large hands tickling Noct's nape and caressing his back.

They laid together like this for quite a while, Noctis halfway draped across his lover, kissing wildly as they both caressed their chests and backs, but never daring to let their hands move further down. Noct enjoyed it -no question about it- but there was a certain part of his body which desperately called for attention, getting _harder_ to ignore with every passing second. He knew exactly what he wanted, but he wasn't quite sure how to get there with Gladio clearly not in the right condition for much movement. Apparently, he had no choice but to discard his shyness and take matters into his own hands.

He reluctantly let go of his lover's lips and looked around a little helplessly.  
"I need lube," he mumbled right before the desired bottle, together with a condom package, landed right beside him. A glance to the other side of the tent presented him a sight too sexy to exist. Prompto, by now, had lost all of his clothes and was reduced to a drooling mess as Ignis, still fully dressed, slowly pumped his blond lover's fully erect cock with his gloved hand.

Noctis gulped and felt his Adam's apple bob in his throat. Ignis smirked and signified him to continue his actions with no more than a short jerk of his eyebrows.

The prince looked back down at Gladio, who suddenly put a hand on his own. "You... really wanna go all the way?"  
"Yeah," Noctis confirmed as he put up his lover's hand to place a reassuring kiss on Gladio's knuckles. "And it's obvious," the prince continued as his fingers traced the outline of the bulge forming beneath his lover's shorts, "that you're not opposed to it."

"I'm not really able to move much because of my leg," Gladio reminded him.  
"Don't worry. I'll move for you," the prince stated in what he hoped to sound sexy, but the shield only quirked an eyebrow in disbelief.

Noctis pouted. He knew he could be rather lazy in bed, but that was no reason for his significant other to blatantly doubt his ability to get more active if he intended to do so. Spurred on by the thought of proving himself to his lover, he took off his own trousers and underwear before he carefully helped Gladio out of his shorts, trying not to touch his injury in the process.

The prince gulped when he saw Gladio's erect cock right in front of him. It wasn't the first time he had seen him but it was the first time from such a close distance and he couldn't stop himself from leaning down at once and taking a lick from bottom to top. Gladio inhaled sharply and had troubles to stop his hips from bucking up, trying to follow Noct's tongue. The prince smirked and placed the bottle of lube in Gladio's hand before he turned around, kneeling beside his lover's upper body, hips up but head moving down to take his lover's cock into his mouth.

The shield moaned as Noctis mouthed around the head of his lover's arousal. The angle was kind of awkward since he wasn't used to it, but Gladio's manhood was too large for Noctis anyway. The prince knew he didn't have a talent for deep-throating as Prompto had, but that didn't stop him from making his lover feel good.

He swirled his tongue around the large erection, ignoring the salty taste of the first drops of precum escaping the slit as he felt Gladio carefully probing the entrance between his cheeks with slick fingers. Noctis wantingly pushed back his hips, signaling for his lover to continue his actions and finally felt his shield's large finger entering him. The prince moaned and the vibration of his voice around Gladio's hardness coaxed a moan out of the shield's throat as well.

The realization of all this truly _finally_ happening made Noctis get impatient. He moved his hips back and forth, eagerly trying to drive Gladio's finger deeper.  
"Easy there, princess," the shield said, the roughness of his voice revealing that he was just as impatient as Noctis though, as he placed his other hand on Noct's hips, trying to keep his movements limited with a firm grip.

Noctis growled, wiggling his hips in protest and using his hand to stroke the part of Gladio's shaft his mouth couldn't reach.  
"You really are eager today," he said and Noctis could literally hear his lover's smirk. Trying to prove this enthusiasm even more, Noct did his best to concentrate on moving his tongue, hollowing his cheeks and sucking on his lover's cock until he felt a second finger entering him, causing him to let go of Gladio's cock for a short moment.  
"Oh, yes..." he moaned and took a deep breath before his mouth went back to work.

They continued to rile each other up, Gladio adding a third finger eventually, thoroughly preparing his prince for what was to come, both of their breaths getting more erratic in the course of time.

"Iggy..." Prompto suddenly whimpered, still at the mercy of the tactician's skilled hands, "let me come."  
"Now, now, darling," Ignis reprimanded him at once, "Do you really take it as appropriate to come before his highness does?"  
"Noooct," his blond lover desperately moaned in response.

Noctis let go of Gladio's manhood at once. _Enough of that_ , he couldn't hold back any longer. He turned around, Gladio's fingers easily slipping out of him, leaving behind a void in desperate need of getting filled again, and went down to kiss his lover's lips once more, knowing that the other didn't mind to taste himself in the kiss. Their kiss turned sloppier as Noctis fumbled to open up the condom wrapper, which Ignis had obligingly given him earlier, and rolled the rubber down his lover's firm erection. Breaking their kiss, the prince picked up the discarded bottle of lube once more and squeezed an enormous amount out of it, using it to more than thoroughly coat his lover's length.

He placed his legs beside his lover's body, kneeling over his large manhood as their gazes locked. There was a hint of uncertainty in Gladio's otherwise lust-clouded eyes and Noctis took one of his hands, squeezing it reassuringly as he slowly descended unto his lover.

As the tip entered his body, Noctis paused and took a deep breath. Gladio really was _huge_.  
"Too much?" Gladio asked worriedly, but the prince immediately shook his head.  
"Too good," he moaned and bit his lip as he continued to sink down deeper, never letting go of his lover's hand.

Noctis had never felt this full before.  
And he had never felt this happy before.

When he had finally settled down completely he opened his eyes, which he had apparently closed at some point, and smiled at his lover, trying to convey everything he felt at this exact moment. Gladio seemed to get the sentiment, because the shield smiled back, a goofy chuckle leaving his lips. "Can't believe we've waited so long before finally doing this."  
"At least we are doing it _now_ ," Noct aspirated and experimentally moved his hips up, before slowly pushing back down again. The movement caused a needy moan to escape both of them.

Noctis realized that his breath had already gotten faster. They hadn't really started yet and he already felt amazing, hot and wanting _more_.

He began moving his hips up and down again, getting a bit faster every time, circling them around, searching for the best angle, never letting go of his lover's hand. He closed his eyes and leaned back a little, moaning deeply every time his lover's cock grazed his prostate.

"You're so beautiful," Gladio whispered and Noct twitched at the unexpected praise.  
"It's mesmerizing how your muscles move when you are riding me," Gladio continued and the prince opened his eyes to watch his lover, who's gaze conveyed even more love than his words.  
"I love the way your cheeks light up when you get embarrassed," the shield continued his chant of praise, as he started to move his hips, making up for Noct's lack of movement as the prince bit his bottom lip, trying to accept the compliments his lover showered him with.

"Gla-Gladio," Noct stuttered and squeezed his lover's hand more tightly as he tried to meet his lover's movements with his own.  
"And these sounds you're making..." Gladio growled as he hit Noct's prostate with an accuracy the prince didn't expect, causing a high pitched squeal to tumble over his lips.

Feeling like he would die of embarrassment if this continued, Noctis leaned down to seal his lover's lips with an open-mouthed kiss. It was messy and wet like the rest of them, but he didn't care as their tongues desperately danced around each other. Noct had to break their kiss as he felt Gladio's large hand sneak around his erection, starting to pump it with the same rhythm their hips moved.

A part of Noct wanted to slow down and make these amazing feelings last forever, but his body didn't stop moving, squirming uncontrollably as he desperately tried to move his hips down harder, wanting to feel his lover even stronger.

He screamed as his orgasm suddenly hit him out of nowhere and he felt his insides squeeze around Gladio's hardness as his cum painted his lover's large hand. Gladio's hips erratically bucked up a few more times before he reached his high as well, a guttural moan accompanying his orgasm.

Noctis slumped down on his shield's chest, as his lover's spent cock slipped out of him and he might have blissfully drifted off to sleep right then and there if it wasn't for Prompto's scream of release to make him open up his eyes once more.

His blond lover drooled, looking utterly spent, his cock leaking when he leaned back against Iggy's still fully clothed body. Noctis had been so absorbed into his act with Gladio that he had completely forgotten about their other two lovers. Ignis's breath was labored and he looked rather ruffled for someone still fully clothed.

"Always knew you had a voyeuristic streak," Gladio huffed.  
"That's entirely _your_ fault, gentlemen," Ignis stated, a rare shade of pink gracing his cheeks as he carefully laid down Prompto and started to pass some wet wipes to all of them.

Noct's cheeks flared up. Ignis had come just by getting off Prompto and watching them? Watching _him_? He gulped. Maybe he finally had to accept the fact that there was nothing wrong with his body and his lovers really found him attractive. Gladio had showered him with enough praise as well. He sheepishly buried his face in the bend of Gladio's neck as his shield wiped them clean as best as he could with his one hand still holding onto Noct's. They hadn't let go of each other since the moment Gladio had entered him and Noctis didn't intend to let go of him tonight either.

"Sleep well, princess. Love you," Gladio said quietly and Noctis smiled as his lover placed an affectionate kiss on the top of his head.  
"Love you as well," Noct mumbled as he drifted off to sleep, feeling more content than ever before.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Check out my Profile to find me on Tumblr or Twitter!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/profile)   
> 


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